How did you come to the Lord?

Did you come to the Lord through an altar call at a church somewhere or was it because, like me, life had wrestled you to the ground and you couldn’t get up or even breathe and in desperation you cried out to the God you hoped there was?

I was born and raised in a Christian family home.  We attended church every Sunday and my parents really lived out their faith.  I ever remember sitting on the grass in our front yard, as a girl, pulling at the blades of grass and knowing Jesus was sitting next to me.  I had such a strong sense of his presence, but it seemed so natural that it almost went unnoticed to my little girl self.  So, it would seem that I would grow up to be a devoted Christian.  However, that is not the path I chose.  Instead as a young woman my heart’s desire was not on God or Jesus, but on my career path, my new married life, buying and furnishing a home, and all the other busyness of life.  Sunday mornings were considered sacred for my husband and me, not because of God or church, but because it was the only morning my husband did not work.  So getting up for church was not something we did other than on Easter or some other special occasion.

Life proceeded down this path of worldly achievements and pursuits, but we were unaware that we were on a path to destruction.  My husband succumbed to an alcohol addiction, and our lives took a fast paced downward turn.  As his mind needed to rationalize his drinking, I became the scapegoat, the reason he drank.  I believed it when he told me if the house was cleaner, the meals were better, the kids were quieter, etc. that he would not need to drink.  Eventually, I was convinced that I was a failure as a mom, wife, housekeeper, cook, and business owner, and I decided to take myself out of this world through suicide.  Then there was the morning I was in my laundry room, doing the wash and contemplating how I would end my life, when a small thought crept into my awareness, “Who will take care of your three young sons?”  Like a bolt of lightning piercing my heart, I realized I could not end my worthlessness and agony because their father was in no shape, at that time, to take care of them.  I had to keep living. I crumbled to the floor. Now, I could not even control my life and death.

This was that precious moment in my life, not that I recognized it as so at that time.  God, the God I has pushed out of my life and ignored completely for years came to the forefront of my thinking.  I knew if there was actually a God, He was my only hope.  And so, I called out to God.

Was there an instant change? No, but it did not take me long to realize something was definitely different.  The dusty Bible was dusted off and read with a longing heart.  The nourishment sustained me.  Then people started coming into my life that helped me on my journey.  Some were Christ followers who encouraged me and led me to new sources of help and strength.  Some were professionals who counseled and guided.  Some were just new friends who were willing to listen and not judge.

Now, these many years later I have grown to trust God with my life completely.  I have seen his work in my life and the lives of a great many, and it has always been good.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, it has often been hard, very hard, but the hard was never wasted.  It shaped me, strengthened me, but more importantly deepened my faith and trust in the one true God.

So, how did you come to know and trust in God?  What is your story?  I hope you will be willing to share because your story will encourage those who are facing their own pit of hell moment, those who are new believers, and those of us who are mature in our faith but can never get tired of hearing and reading the stories of others.

I hope you will feel free to share.  In the meantime, be blessed and encourage.  God loves you and longs to be close to you.  Draw close to him today and he will draw close to you.

God bless.