Being a Christian, I am often amazed at how Christians are portrayed in the secular media.
Then I have to remind myself that I once thought very much the same things.
Now, I'm still not sure why that is.
Why does secular society have such a skewed view of Christians and Christianity? I'm sure that part of it comes from the Enemy, but not all.
Some comes from secular media's thirst for sensationalism.
So, when a particularly well known pastor or minister falls from grace in a very public way, the media is all over it like stink on a rotting corpse.
Then when that same pastor/minister asks forgiveness from all, including our Savior, the media ignores it completely, at best, or is skeptical, at worst.
They simply can't understand how we Christians can think we can just ask for forgiveness and move on.
I doubt this article will be able to answer that question for most of the skeptics.
But maybe a few might get some idea.
It's so hard for people who haven't met Jesus Christ to believe that there are people who have.
It's equally hard for those who have met Him to explain to those who haven't in way that they understand.
And, I certainly don't think that I'm going to enlighten everyone's mind by what I have to say.
I understand that, I really do.
You could explain to me 'til the cows come home how television or even a cell phone works over the air waves and I still wouldn't understand completely.
I can see it.
I can experience the result of it.
But, I really have no real clue how it works.
In the same way, people can see and experience the change in another when they first give their lives to Christ.
But, they have no real clue what happened to produce the sudden change and why there are still some areas in the person's life that need change.
These unfinished areas can even produce skepticism and condemnation.
In this first article, I just want to relate my first experiences when I finally "came to the Light.
" That's what some people call it when you meet Jesus for the first time.
It can also be called "getting saved," "surrendering one's life to Jesus," and many more expressions.
The way I like to say it is, "when I finally found out where I belong.
" Perhaps, not even that can express what happened to me that night.
But it's a pretty good description.
I'm sure others could describe a similar sensation.
Well, the night I "found Jesus," I was at a Bible study in the home of a family friend.
I was with my mother, and another woman was there leading the study.
I had made several attempts to "find God" previously and this was beginning to seem like all the others.
I was hearing and reading the words, but I didn't quite understand the meaning of it all.
We had already had a few weekly studies.
This night we were doing a word study on the word "love.
" I began asking questions of the lady that was leading the group, and she was patiently and passionately answering my questions.
Then she looked at me and asked me if I was "saved.
" I said, "I don't know.
How can you know something like that?" She began to relate to me things that I don't even remember and asked me if I wanted to pray a prayer to become a Christian.
I said, "Yes.
" Now I had been to all kinds of different churches and am sure I had said the almost identical prayer on several occasions.
But, this time was different.
This time I felt a warmth come over me as I repeated the words that she told me to speak.
As the warmth came over me, I remember feeling like I needed to say more and began asking forgiveness for specific sins that I knew I had committed.
Then, suddenly, I felt like I had been washed clean, cleaner that snow.
I know that sounds like a cliché, but it's true.
Then I had this wonderful feeling of coming home like I never felt before.
I suddenly knew where I belonged.
It was a feeling that I had searched for all my life and had never found.
I felt as if I was being embraced by someone who really loved me and had been waiting for me for a long time.
It was the most amazing feeling I had ever had.
When I opened my eyes, no one was touching me.
I was sitting in the same chair.
But I was a whole new person.
I felt light and clean and new.
And, I knew that I belonged in heaven with a heavenly Father who loves me and had always loved me and always would love me, no matter what.
Thank You, Jesus for loving me and giving yourself for me, so that I could come home and be who and where I'm supposed to be.