My salvation testimony- April 11th 34 years ago!
I vividly remember one night when I was 16 years old. I was laying in my bed and wondering if there was something more to life! I had just moved from California to VA and was focusing on getting good grades and being a good person. Before moving I had gone through a few months of teenage rebellion and looked at this move as a way to get a fresh start. But as I lay there I couldn’t sleep. There was this emptiness that I was feeling as I wondered about the meaning of life.
It wasn’t long after that night of questioning that I was invited to a Saturday night church service. Since I was new to VA and hadn’t made friends yet, I thought why not go, I have nothing else to do. The pastor was speaking on Isaiah chapter 6 and describing God’s holiness in relation to His unconditional love.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:1-3
Then he began to speak about how we are all sinners and how our sin separates us from a holy God and that God cannot look upon it or let sin enter heaven. I didn’t need convincing that I was a sinner as I had just come off of a path of rebellion and wanting to do my own thing. But then he shared the good news that Jesus took our place of judgment by dying on the cross for us so we could have a personal relationship with Him and go to heaven one day. I had heard stories about Jesus and some Old Testament stories but up until that point, l had never heard that I was a sinner and separated from God and that His sacrifice made a way for Me to have a relationship with Him. The unconditional love he spoke about was what the Lord must have known I needed to hear.
During my time of teen rebellion, I felt that people only loved and accepted me when I was living up to their expectations. This unconditional love is why I walked forward during the invitation and asked for forgiveness for my sins and accepted Christ into my heart to be my Savior. My life has never been the same after that night. I wanted to be like Isaiah who said, “Here am I Lord, send me.”
I then began to understand that there was indeed more to life than just daily living. There was a God who loved me and had a purpose for my life.
What about you?
Have you come to a place of understanding how much God loves you?
Have you accepted Jesus and surrendered to His will for your life?
Paula Wilcox
Choice Baptist Church
