I was raised in a Christian home, not overly zealous, but I did grow up in the church and went to a Christian school from kindergarten through middle school. I suppose I took my beliefs for granted, thinking that everyone had a similar outlook on the world as I did. I learned this was not the case when I entered a public high school (my first introduction into the “real world”).
It has really been in the past year that I have begun to dig down deeper into my faith. At the beginning of this year I decided to read the Bible every day. I purchased a Study Bible with a couple of different reading plans and started with “A Guided Tour of the Bible”—LIFE CHANGER! Even though I grew up knowing most of the basic stories in the Bible, of course they were reduced to lessons that a child could understand, as I was a child when I learned them.
This year when I started to read the Bible more faithfully, I remember the one thing that hit me OVER and OVER and OVER again while reading through the Old Testament is the weakness, unfaithfulness and fallibility of people in contrast to the strength, faithfulness and infallibility of God. He consistently sought reconciliation with His people and even invited non-Jews into the family of believers if they so chose. I know it may sound silly, but I feel like I have known the story my whole life, but am now just starting to appreciate it and really understand the emotional and spiritual ramifications in my own life.
I can remember quite clearly the moment that I invited Jesus into my heart. I think I was about 5 or 6 years old. I was in the back seat of our family’s station wagon, my mom was driving us somewhere and I said, “Mom, guess what?” What honey? “I asked Jesus into my heart!” I expected a party or something I suppose, but that didn’t happen. My mom seemed mildly pleased. I thought it would be different (maybe more dramatic), but now, looking back at my short life, I think that moment was and is significant. You hear lots of stories of people who were at their lowest of lows after years of drug abuse, alcohol abuse or something like that. I always thought how boring my story must be in comparison to them. But now I see that the Holy Spirit has influenced me through the years without me even being aware of it.
Today I find myself much more spiritually aware, surrounded by a world where mass media (and whoever their billionaire sponsors may be) rules—the truth is not so important—just the spin (but I digress). There is a definite trend in music videos, television, movies and even the news that God (and anything that represents traditional values) has become irrelevant. Many music videos are becoming increasingly dark and disturbing—and this is the way corporations communicate with young people, they are most definitely influencing young minds who are largely unaware of this fact. This concerns me.
This is getting to be a long “About Me”, so I’ll start to wrap it up. I want to make it clear that I am a fallible person, but I am striving to be what God wants me to be. Through the work of the Holy Spirit I have changed for the better, not because I am some fabulous person, but because of the redemptive power of God. I still make mistakes, but I am redeemed. I want the same thing for you as well. I may lose friends because of what I’m saying and I may have people think I am a hypocrite or just another “nut”, but I know who I am in Jesus. I hope and pray that one day you will, too.
