Why I love Jesus Christ....a peek into my life

"For God so love the world that he gave his one and only Son, 

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Jn 3:16

Happy (belated) Birthday Jesus Christ!!!  Praise and glory be to our LORD and Savior!  Because Jesus, our King, came as a baby and died on a cross, sinless as our sacrifice for our sins, we are alive!  I pray that this Christmas season has been a time of celebration of this miracle and praising He who gave us the eternal gift of life!!

I want to say, right off the bat, if you have yet to make a commitment to Christ I pray that today is that day for you!  May this blog, may this readership, help you any way you need to be helped, and may the LORD Jesus Christ gift me as his servant.

As I sit here prepped to write thank you notes from Christmas, I am overwhelmed with joy.  Do you see this picture? We have friends in Illinois that we just treasure.  And through them, we have become friends with a woman who is simply priceless!  Together, my dear friend of old, and my new found friend put together a "box of joy" to send to me for Christmas.  You see, I collect seahorses. Opening this box, brought me to tears, because you could tell that is was heartfelt.  You can see the joy on my face. My dear friend told me that the stuffed seahorse was originally my new found friend's, but she wanted to send it to me because she thought that it would give me comfort.  Guys, that is Christmas in a box!

It reminded me of who Jesus is: love, joy, peace, kindness, mercy.... our Healer, our King, our Savior....  I began to reflect on Jesus, why I love him and why I believe in Him as my Savior.  Throughout my life, my love for Jesus has changed; it has grown deeper.  Age, life circumstance, influence, many things affected how I felt and thought, maybe it has for you as well.  

I can recall 3 periods in my life that I would say were major influences in my spiritual life.  I wanted to share them with you, perhaps you could connect to them, maybe you are going through one of them right now.  One thing I clearly want to communicate that I found in reflection to be true was that I grew through each stage spiritually and Jesus is always present, even when it doesn't feel like it.  

1) Reverence

I have loved Jesus from as far back as I can remember.  It was almost like it was instinct.  I'm saying that because my parents never spoke of Christian things, we never went to church as a family, or prayed or anything that you would attribute to a "Christian" home.  But a bible was placed prominently in the main corner of our living room.  A beautiful, full colored bible, with the most wonderful pictures.  It had this stunning photo of Jesus Christ on the front.  It was mesmerizing!  For my entire childhood, the bible was placed on a special stand with a spot light shining down on it.  I never saw my mother, read or even open the bible discover what was in it.  However, she took special care of it and placed every birth, death and wedding announcement; including the pamphlet from the event in the bible.  She treasured that bible.  Me?  Watching how my mom treated that bible intrigued me. I had to investigate.  Even as a small, small child, I remember, sitting in the corner and looking through it for hours.  The pictures alone were captivating!  And from that, I grew to love Jesus.  I would ask my mom to take me, "to the place where I could find out more about Jesus."  And although my mom would have a panic attack any time she would even get close to a church (a story for another time), she would take me (of course drop me off and pick me up :D).  Her reverence, turned into my reverence.  Has this happened to you?  Has someones reverence for God peaked your interest?  Or did their reverence help you to choose Jesus as your Savior?  Please share your story below (or pm me and perhaps I can share it for you).

2) God's Word

Church was spotty for me in my childhood, based on my previous story, you can imagine why,  But when I was in High School, I found a church that I was able to settle into - a pastor that hooked me and got me interested in reading the bible for myself.  Ok, learning point, for my first bible, I was given a bible written in the King James Version (KJV) or "Old English."  Many like this version, but I would not recommend it for a beginner.  Nonetheless, I was reading the NT and as soon as I read in the Gospels that Jesus Christ was Baptized and that God the Father was pleased, I immediately contacted my pastor.  It was such and honor to be baptized, knowing that God the Father rejoiced saying, "She is my daughter, she brings me great joy!" (based on Matt 3:17).  Watching my mom gave me reverence for Jesus and started me on the path to believe in Him, but I began to fall in love with him as my Savior reading about him in the Gospels.  He became real to me.  Reading about his life, the things he had done, it helped me as an adult begin to put the pieces together for myself.  Maybe this is you.  You have been attending some church services, maybe you have read some scripture on your own. Maybe you have even spoken to someone about choosing Christ and you are ready to step forward.  Commit!  Choose Christ!  Confess right now that you are a sinner, that you need Jesus Christ and that you need him as your Savior!!  Accept him into your heart.  Then, go and see someone at a local church to be baptized and profess to others so that they can rejoice in your salvation!!   If you have just chosen Christ, please share it with us so that we can rejoice with you!!  Even if it has been a while, please share your story, we would love to hear what led you to the next step with Christ - inspire others!!  Finally, if you are struggling with how to move forward, contact someone that you know that is a Christian, a local Church pastor or you can always pm me.

Side Note: Condemnation    My Mom and Dad both came to my baptism and were very proud of me.  I was so grateful to have them there.  Perhaps your story is more like theirs.  Growing up, my mom was very poor and was ridiculed by Christians and although I don't know the whole story, she had many bad experiences and was terrified of churches.  I am praising the Lord that she still had such a reverence for the bible and was willing to help me seek Christ.  My Dad's parents divorced when he was young and his mother began going to church regularly and taking the kids.  My dad became very confused about church. He told me he was "dunked" at every new church they went to and the bible/church, all became a big "mystery" to him. And it didn't help that my grandfather blamed the "church" for his divorce.  I never talked to my mom about this, but I know with my dad, church became a place that required one to live in a certain way. The church said to live one way, the world says to live another.  As a teenager and as an adult, we desire the world. Many people have spoken of the condemnation that they feel when they are around Christians or walk into a church. I spoke on my previous blog about our "curtain" and what we have behind it. Nobody knows - even with the "cleanest" of exterior. But Jesus does and maybe that even makes you more uncomfortable.  If you can connect to anything that I am saying I beg of you to allow two scriptures to wash over you.  John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." And, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." Rom 8:1 (NLT)  My dear friends, I pray that you can hear these words.  My brother struggled with this all of his life. He wholeheartedly believed that Jesus Christ came for all; yet, he so struggled to believe that He also came for him. Jesus came for ALL - and that means YOU! My brother died last year and I pray that he finally was able to grasp that before his untimely death.  My joy is that I know that he is in heaven with Jesus, because he believed that Jesus was the Christ and his Savior and I know that without a doubt in heaven he KNOWS these scriptures and is finally at peace.  For you my friend, I pray that you can make that decision today and be at peace here on earth.  Stop searching...Jesus IS the answer!

3)  Broken

Finally, in 2000, our lives changed dramatically.  I will talk more about that later, but when you "fall off the cliff" metaphorically speaking in a Wylie Coyote kinda way you get on your knees and pray!  That was when I finally can say I met my creator.  We talked, we argued, I cried and I dug into God's word like it was carrot cake cheesecake.  No, a Chocolate Coconut Almond Fudge Ice Cream Cake from Greaters'!  I could not absorb it fast enough, then we would talk some more!  I am a very inquisitive person - ok, I can't type.  My friends, especially from Grade School are laughing too loud in my head.  Where was I?  I am an inquisitive person, so I had a lot to talk to God about. I was suffering, my husband was suffering and I wanted to understand why?  When was it going to end?  What did I do to cause this (if I was being honest I was saying to "deserve" this)?   And how to fix it?  I was broken.  "Come all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  Matt 11:28  I know this to be true now, but when you are in it, it is very hard to believe.  Are you the one here?  Struggling?  Man I have been there.  No two experiences are the same, but I know many of you are hurting.  You have suffered, experienced death, heartache, tragedy.  Please know that our God is big enough?  He is the creator of the heavens and the universe. He CAN and WILL get you through whatever you are going through.  How do I know?  Because he helps me every single day with pain, managing life threatening issues, a brain injury... navigating life.  And he WILL help you.  If you are reading this, please share your story how God has helped you overcome.  You may not be the person who writes on these things, but I know the stories that you have to tell.  i have listened to them and they are so moving!!  Let's inspire others!  This just may be your day to share your story, because your story may truly save an eternal life. Please take a leap with me?!  

I pray sharing some of the stages in my spiritual journey has helped you.  I know sharing is tough - believe me, but let's lift each other up and ask the LORD to move the hearts of those who have not found you!  May this be the day that they find joy and salvation through you.  What a "box of joy" that would be for the heavens!  Yes, I have struggled!  

Yes, times have been hard!  But all things are possible with God and I can truly attest to you that even in the worst of times, I can find joy because my God is with me.  May the peace that surpasses all understanding find it's way into your homes.  God bless.