My testimony 1/7/17
I was not a fast learner in Kindergarten, so no surprise when Mom had difficulty teaching me the alphabet and the sounds that go with each of the letters. She was patient with me, and when things just didn’t “click” for me she tried a new approach. (I’ve always been a hands-on learner.) She got me a notebook with lots of empty pages and a single letter at the top of each page. Then we’d browse through a magazine or book trying to find words that started with the /aaa/ sound like in apple, ect. When I still struggled with it, we took a break from it for a while. Meanwhile, Dad continued with the family devotions and I listened to them. I got the notebook out of my stash of “precious things” (which was more of a junk collection of odds and ends), and colored pictures on the different pages. When I had completed them over time I proudly presented my “art” to Mom, to whom, I am sure it looked more like a badly messed up school project. Oblivious to her disappointment, (I colored pictures instead of writing words) Mom sat done to look at it with me. She was happy and impressed with the pictures until we got to the “s” page. The only object among my colorings that started with ‘s’ was a sink I had drawn. The rest of what I had drawn was a person surrounded by flames. She finally asked what that picture was as she couldn’t come up with any ideas that would start with the “sss” sound.
“Oh, that’s hell, Mommy,” I replied frankly.
“I thought this was the /sss/ page.” Her voice showed disappointment.
“It is.” I replied. “Sin starts with /sss/ and sin makes people go to hell.”
She smiled and hugged me.
Later, after replaying our conversation in my mind I realized I was one of those sinners bound for hell. I came to her in tears and told her I wanted Jesus to come into my heart because I couldn’t be good by myself and I didn’t want to go to hell. She went over the plan of salvation with me and made sure I understood it. We prayed together. I welcomed the new peace salvation brought to me. My focus had shifted now. It was no longer about me and how well I did or didn’t behave, or how well I did or didn’t do in school. The realization that I was indeed a new creature in Christ, and the knowledge that God loved me despite of all my short comings brought a true joy to my heart. I felt as free and light and clean as I have ever felt in my life!
I would strongly disagree with those who believe that children can’t understand the gospel at a young age. I am thankful to God for my salvation and the wonderful parents I have. I am so richly blessed to have been brought up in a Christian home. Of course, like most people who get saved very young I did doubt my sincerity later on and wondered at times if I had “said the right words”, but the Lord has given me assurance through His Spirit and Romans 8 (but especially verses 14-16),
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
I’ve looked back countless times on the day I got saved, and even though I can’t tell you what day or month is was I remember vividly understanding for the first time how I had fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness and short of His Way to heaven through his Son Jesus. There was no hope for me getting to heaven on my own. And I also remember feeling as free, joyful, and clean as I ever have in my life once I accepted that His Son, Jesus Christ, had paid my debt on the cross and rose again to be my Savior. All glory to God for His precious gift!
Thanks for reading!
Very blessed,
Heather.
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