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Un-forgettable best describes the night that
I found peace with God. I had been invited to a Thanksgiving Dinner
by a friend from work given at his church. The afternoon was gray
and cool. I arrived at the church to find a large number of people
in the Gymnasium, a stage was set up, instruments and microphones
in place. I anticipated a big event.
A female vocalist opened the affair with songs from her heart about
Jesus. She sang beautifully. She was a DJ from a local radio station.
Following her was a man who had been an NBC Sports caster. He told
a story of how he had been addicted to fame, alcohol and drugs.
He eventually lost his job, wife and family. Then he explained that
someone told him about Jesus laying down his life to rescue him
from death and despair. Hearing this, the sports caster decided
to ask Jesus to come into his life. The man was changed and his
desire to do drugs and drink was gone! His life turned around and
he began a new job. His wife and family were restored to him!
The pastor of the church closed the event with a message that peace,
hope and everlasting life is available to anyone who calls on the
name of the Lord and believes in their heart that He is alive and
ready to accept anyone who comes to Him, no matter what has been
in their past. Then my friend and his wife gave me a video tape
to keep and a little booklet called, "The Great Adventure". I was
strangely moved by the performance and the stories and the outpouring
of love
from the people who were there. There was excitement in my heart
about what was on the video.
This surprised me. There was a lot of baggage that I carried. Growing
up in a churched family, I thought I knew all about Jesus. I felt
that I was abandoned at 13 because a drunk driver had killed my
Mom. My heart seemed broken beyond
repair. I was angry and had denied that there was a God, after all,
how could He let something like that happen. I felt robbed. Mom
wasn't there for my High School graduation, my first job, my first
apartment. What was the use? She'd never
see me get married and raise a family. I just gave up all those
dreams. It was approaching thirty years since the tragedy, and I
was still hurting and broken. There was a lot of loss since then,
too. My Dad had recently died and my best friend, my landlady, had
passed away. Now I wasn't even sure of where I would be living.
I felt so alone.
What happened next still amazes me. Something
I never expected. I found out what I had all wrong all those years.
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T.S. Eliot
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.
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