By Adrienne Carlson
Although I was never an atheist, I never really took the time or the effort to go to church regularly or even worship the Lord with my parents and siblings during those prayer meetings we had at our home. It was not that I did not want to pray, only that I had more important tasks to attend to. My dad would get mad at me and call me the black sheep of the family, but my mom never said a word against me. She was firm in the belief that I would come around someday and discover Jesus for myself, and that only when I took this major decision on my own would I truly appreciate and understand the gospel and Christ.
My teenage years rolled from high school into those I spent at college where classes, friends, social engagements and parties were my staple diet. There was no time for church or worship; until the day I was at the receiving end of a harsh emotional blow. My boyfriend of five years (we had both chosen to go to the same college in order to stay close to each other) found someone else to play around with, and stumbling into them by accident literally knocked me for a loop.
I was so stunned, my eyes were filled with tears, and I ran. I kept running till I ended up in a remote corner of campus where I spent the rest of the day, not even being aware of what I was doing and that it was getting dark and I was not safe being there alone at that time of the night. I made my way back to my dorm room and thanked my stars my roommate was away for a couple of days. I needed to wallow in my own sorrow alone and face it on my own without commiserations and pitying looks.
As I lay on my pillow, my cheeks touched the bible underneath – my mother made a habit of it ever since I had my own bed. I slowly flipped the pages, reading random scriptures and stories. A piece of paper slipped out, and on it were the few words that changed my life forever. Titled Footprints in the Sand, the anecdote spoke of a man walking along with Jesus through the path of his life. Christ is there with him through all the events of his life, and there are two sets of footprints to reflect this.
But, a closer look tells the man that there are only one set of footprints at certain points of his life, the points where he was at his lowest ebb and was very depressed. So he asks God why he felt it necessary to forsake him in his hour of need, and Jesus replies – Son, I did not forsake you. Those footprints you see are mine, not yours. You see, during your darkest hours, I carried you on my shoulders because you had no strength to walk on your own.
I cried when I read this, but the tears were cathartic because I knew that Jesus would see me through this pain and heartache no matter what. I also knew that I would hurt for a while, but with Christ on my side, I would survive and come out a winner. That was the day I discovered the power of the gospel and the strength of Jesus. I prayed regularly and made it a point to attend church on the Sabbath. And even though my life took a turn for the better, I never forgot the day I found Christ – it was the day I was born again.
By-line: This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of Christian College Online
Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com
The Lord bless and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
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