My Testimony
*For a more detailed account of my salvation, go HERE.*
The Background
I wasn’t always a Christian. Actually, I hated them. Some of my best friends were Christian, but they were the exception to me. Generally, I couldn’t stand those weak, judgmental hypocrites. My parents raised me Catholic, but we were not good Catholics. We didn’t even go to church for Easter and Christmas… They made me get confirmed in the church during eighth grade, but my parents never pushed me toward any sort of faith again. That was fine by me, because I had been resisting God my whole life.
I took great offense to the idea that I needed some higher being to help me and control me. I was naturally a good student, and I was quite resilient. I was the girl that put her mind to it and achieved it. If a setback came along, I regrouped and rolled with it. I just didn’t see a need for God in my life. I was doing just fine.
The truth is, though, I was not doing all right. I was lonely, strongly disliked myself, and felt that life was missing something. I mean, this couldn’t be all there was, right? I met my husband, Chris, when I was in graduate school. I only ended up in that particular graduate program because of a recent setback that required regrouping, and six months later I was meeting my future husband. Not a bad setback, if you ask me.
My Downward Spiral
Eventually, Chris and I started talking about a future family and raising kids…in a church. I guess we both thought that’s what “good” parents do. We visited different kinds of churches, and, through our visits and a subsequent door-knocking ministry, Chris started a Bible study with the door-knockers in his home to prove the Bible was false. Well, it didn’t end the way I expected. Instead of dumping the Bible, he dumped me! One year and a casual engagement ring shopping trip later…I was alone, and he was saved. Whatever that meant.
I graduated with my MSW and moved from Central Illinois to suburban Chicago. Chris moved to Oregon, and I assumed I’d never see him again. (After all, I did tell him I only wanted to hear from him again if he were about to die.) I went back to an old flame, and I spent the next year in a toxic relationship, drinking heavily, sleeping too little, and feeling lost. To the surprise of no one, the relationship I was in ended. Great relief washed over me to be free from it, but I suddenly felt I knew exactly what I needed now that it was over. God.
Jesus Changes Everything
I began attending a Catholic mass nearly every day of the week. I really wanted to feel close to God, but I just felt more longing and incompleteness. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Chris messaged me on Facebook because he saw me on our one mutual friend’s page. It was a longshot, but God’s timing was perfect. I responded and even without malice. I sincerely wanted answers and closure about our breakup over a year prior. We talked as if no time had gone by, and my anger was replaced by a genuine interest in hearing about his faith. He helped me choose a local church to check out, and I was saved after my first visit. It was May 3, 2009. I remember the weather was picturesque as I sat at the Riverwalk in Naperville, Illinois. I sat there crying as I prayed to Jesus, probably making a bunch of people’s afternoon strolls a little awkward.
Things moved fast after that. I called Chris and told him what happened. We made plans to see each other, and I flew out to Oregon for Memorial Day weekend. I returned home unsure of what would happen next, but I was confident God would make It clear. On June 8, 2009 Chris and I got engaged, and he moved back to Illinois and married me on August 8, 2009. God has rarely moved so fast on anything else in my life, and I am so thankful he did for this because my marriage has been one of the biggest blessings in my life!
Why Jesus?
A lot of people will say, “I’m glad that works for you, but I don’t need religion.” Or they’ll give me the list of things they do in hopes of going to Heaven. He’s not Hitler. (I’m always happy to hear that!) She’s a good person. He attends church. Her grandfather is a pastor. He does his best… The list goes on. So, why do I believe what I do? Like, how did I make this up? I didn’t. The Scriptures have this all laid out for us. Here’s just a small sample of verses that address why we need to be saved and how.
First, we are never going to be good enough. We cannot work ourselves into Heaven.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:10 “as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one;”
Second, sin has consequences. There’s no such thing as a sin that’s “small.” If you break one of God’s laws, then it’s as if you’ve broken them all.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”
Finally, there is good news for all of us. God sent his Son, Jesus, to take our punishment on the cross. He was buried, and three days later he rose back to life, defeating death. His sacrifice and victory over death means we can live, too! All we need to do is repent (turn away from our sin and toward Christ) and believe in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
John 3:16 “’For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”
Romans 10:13 “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
These aren’t the only verses that point to salvation through Christ, but it’s a good start. If you are wanting to start reading the Bible and aren’t sure where to begin, I suggest the book of John. Take special note of John 3, when Jesus explains to Nicodemus that he must be born again.