Hi. My name is Lois and I am a born-again
Christian. Having been raised in a Christian
home, where we were taught the Bible and of Jesus,
and attended Church faithfully, I was saved an
early age-- I was either six or seven, when I asked
Jesus into my heart. I can still remember the night
well, though not exactly sure of the
date.
It was an emotional and beautiful thing, as I
recall how earnest and sincere those feelings were,
even though I was a child. I was so happy at the
decision I had made, and had high hopes of living
the rest of my life for Him.
I remember, too, how happy Mama was. It seemed to
be the happiest I'd ever made her, and that, too,
fueled my eagerness, because I loved her so, and
feared that she wouldn't be around much longer.
(You see, Mama was actually my Grandmother, who
adopted my little brother and me, and she was in
bad health, having battled cancer and a number of
other illnesses for years.) Other than the Lord,
she was the best thing to ever have happened to us,
so naturally, I loved that it pleased her (as well
as the Lord) when I understood and accepted
salvation.
Through the following years, as I got older,
serving and obeying the Lord remained a very
important part of my life. Of course, children will
be children, and I'm the first to admit, I was no
saint-- hardly. But thankfully, the Lord saw
fit to keep Mama with us, and she continued to
raise us, correcting and disciplining us when
needed-- which at times, was quite often.
It wasn't until the latter part of my teenage
years that I really started slipping, spiritually.
A high-school student with a car, a new job, new
friends, new interests, I began to miss Church
services here and there. Soon, I started agreeing
to, (and then "asking to"), work on Sundays and
Wednesday evenings, when I would normally have been
in Church. Pretty soon, I was only attending the
House of the Lord maybe once a month, then once
every few months, until finally, I wasn't there at
all.
That's when my life REALLY changed-- and for the
worse. No longer surrounding myself with anything
or anyone "Christ-like", the influence I so needed
(but was no longer interested in) was gone.
Though I was still living at home, I was only there
during the night... basically, to sleep. I hardly
ever saw Mama anymore, because of my "busy
schedule" (between school and working 40+ hours a
week). I knew she worried and prayed for me, but
again, without the Holy Spirit, or rather, without
my "listening" to the Holy Spirit, I didn't see
things quite the same. I saw things from a
"worldly" perspective, which didn't allow
conviction to seep through. No
longer did I appreciate the things (or
people) I used to cherish most.
After I graduated and had moved out on my own, I
was even further away from the Will of God.
It wasn't at all visible that Christ lived in
me, which must have broken His heart, as it did
Mama's. Looking back, what a sad, sad picture that
was.
In the years since that time, I've felt the
Lord nudging at my heart on several occasions, and
though I was under conviction to turn my life
around by making things right with Him, I didn't
give in to His call. I was so ashamed of my sins,
and felt as though I had wandered too far and
had been away too long, to be forgiven now. (I
didn't understand then that He had already forgiven
these sins, when I accepted Him as my Saviour, all
those years ago.)
But I thank the Lord for His precious parables of
"The Prodigal Son" and of "The Lost Sheep", which
I'd read many, many times in my childhood, and that
I DID understand. They came back to me one day,
reminding me of Christ's love, mercy and
forgiveness, and PRAISE THE LORD, then the wheels
started to turn. While talking with
two dear friends on the telephone on the night of
Friday, October 31st, 1997, I "acknowledged"
Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour once again.
I immediately found and started attending a
wonderful Bible-believing Church, where I've
since joined and was baptized again in. I taught
Vacation Bible School for the first time this
summer (1998), and have recently begun working in
Children's Church-- both of which, I've thoroughly
enjoyed, and have received many blessings from.
I praise God, He allowed Mama to live long
enough to learn that I had returned to the Lord and
had started serving Him again. I wish, though, I
had done so alot sooner, because in the last
several years, Mama suffered from Alzheimer's
(among other things), and eventually had to be put
into a nursing home, because her health had
declined so. She wasn't able to witness firsthand
the change that had taken place in my life.
No matter how often I'd tell her of these changes,
and of my spiritual growth, she still had trouble
remembering (because of the Alzheimer's), so I
didn't get to see, again, that happiness and joy
she had once had, for my salvation... until just
before she died (September 1998), when it was
evident that she wouldn't be here much longer. She
and I had a talk, as she lay on her deathbed, and
for the first time since her condition had
worsened, she seemed very aware of all that I was
saying, and we both shed tears of joy, especially
upon mention of us being together again in Heaven
one day. Once again, this seemed to be the happiest
I'd ever made her, and I praise the Lord for that.
Friend, I'm not writing this to seek praise
for myself, nor even as much as I loved Mama, am
I trying to gain praises for her. But rather, for
our dear, wonderful Saviour, who's willing and
able to give us second chances. HE deserves all the
praise, honor, and glory, not me. I didn't save
myself. He did.
I was once His precious little lamb,
but then I strayed away from Him, and the rest of
His flock. And still, after wandering away, perhaps
to find what I thought to be "greener pastures", He
loved me so, that He called out to me,
continuously, until I heard His voice, and answered
back to Him. Then He came and rescued me, showed me
that all my spots and blemishes had been cleansed,
and brought me back to the flock, where I belong.
Is He now calling out for YOU?
Are you a lost sheep, who, like me, wandered away
from the Shepherd?
Are you a sheep who never knew you HAD a
Shepherd?
Have you spent your entire life wandering in
the wilderness alone, never knowing your Master
was calling your name, trying to show you the way
home, because He loves you so?
If the answer to any of those questions was "yes",
then I pray that you'll get down on your
knees right now, and answer His call. Remember that
what the Lord has done for me, He can certainly do
for you. No matter what your situation, believe
me, it isn't hopeless. The Lord forgives ALL, and
He can use ANYONE for His glory. No matter who you
are, or what you've done, HE LOVES YOU. And He
wants to live within you. All you have to do is
answer His call, by letting Him come into your
heart. You'll be happier than you ever dreamed
possible, once you accept His precious gift of
love.
~Lois
November 1998
After
re-reading my testimony, and after hearing
from some of my new Christian friends on the
web, I feel I must make a clarification...
I never meant to imply that the Holy Spirit
had left me, or that the Lord had left me, during
my "wandering" years. He NEVER left me, though I
walked away from Him. He was there all the
time, even when I refused to listen to Him, or
acknowledge His presence. I didn't mean to
imply otherwise, or that I had to "be saved" over
again. But rather, that I accepted, (or
acknowledged) Him into my
heart once again, making Him Lord of my life
(putting Him first, before all other
things).
Below are the words to a song that holds
special meaning to my heart. I hope upon reading
them, you'll understand why.
Oh what a wonderful, wonderful day...
Day I will never forget
After I'd wandered in darkness away
Jesus, my Saviour, I met.
Oh what a tender, compassionate friend
He met the need of my heart
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling
He made all the darkness depart.
Heaven came down and glory filled my
soul.
Then at the cross, my Saviour made me
whole.
My sins were washed away
and my night was turned to day.
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.
(Now playing: "Blessed Assurance")
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