Okay, enough with the sports theme--for now:) It's just that when I think back to high school, sports were such a big part of my life, there's not much else that had a big impact. Well, that's not totally true, I am already thinking of other posts to write that don't include sports. But, that will be another day...
Anyway, back to the theme of this post. I found pictures of my baptism in an album of random photos. Actually, Jordan really likes looking at all of our photo albums, so she's the one who found them. It was at the end of my sophomore year of college and Justin had just proposed to me in front of lots of people at Christian Challenge (that will be another post, as it was for sure a significant time in my life!) so I chose him to be the one to baptize me.
The baptism is significant because it represents the most important decision of my life...more important than saying "yes" to a marriage proposal, more important than having kids, and certainly more important than anything having to do with playing sports in high school:) I chose to be baptized to proclaim to everyone watching that I decided to live my life for Jesus Christ. Little did I know just how much my heart would change from making that decision for my life.
I grew up going to church. I considered myself to be a good person. I was successful in school and pushed myself to try and be the best at everything I did. However, with all my "success," I still wasn't satisfied. Nothing quite gave me the "happiness" that I wanted, not even the boys I dated (a man CANNOT fulfill the emptiness of your heart...that is God's job!) I remember listening to some country songs (yes, I was a country girl) that expressed what I was feeling, though now I couldn't tell you what they were. There's got to be more to life than this was a consistent thought of mine. I was always looking for something more.
God chose to use my freshman year of college to draw me to himself, to be that "something more" in my life. I had gotten myself into a situation in which I had no control over the outcome. It consumed my thoughts every minute of everyday for several weeks, and I had no choice but to cry out to God to save me.
What's amazing as I look back, is that God had it all planned out. During one of those long weeks, I visited my brother in Wichita. It was spring break. No one would have guessed the battle going on in my heart just by looking at me. My brother's friends from Christian Challenge probably had no idea the impact they had on me that week as they simply lived their lives in front of me. I got to see people like my brothers Rick and Brock, Justin, Alisha, Will, and Rich (just to name a few) that had something I wanted. I remember thinking, "I want that. I want what they have." What they had was Jesus.
Remember, I said I grew up going to church. I prayed the sinner's prayer asking Jesus into my heart every time the preacher asked, "If you were to die today, do you know for certain that you would go to Heaven." Well, as a little kid, do you know anything for certain?! I know that I had given my life to Jesus when I was very young, but it took God using a very difficult situation for me to start living like I did.
During the next decade (it's been 11 years already!) God has done amazing things in my heart. Though I'm still focussed on myself most of the time, God has given me a heart for people. My unhealthy competitive drive is gone and I know life is not about me. The things of this world matter to me less and less and the things of eternity matter to me more and more. The old is gone (washed away!), and the new has come. True fulfillment of life is through Jesus...there's no other way!
Romans 3:23--"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23--"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The gift comes through a personal relationship with Jesus, not in a religion.
John 3:3--"In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 14:6--"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Romans 10:9-11--"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
Maybe you're wondering what the "sinner's prayer" is. It's simply talking to God...confessing your sins to Him and asking Him to forgive you in the name of Jesus Christ. It's inviting Jesus into your heart and the beginning of a new life, a life fulfilled through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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