TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
A SARINE THOUGHT… OR TWO COLUMN BY EMILY SARINE Why I Love Easter
H appy Easter to one and all! This is such a special time of year to me personally because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. I usually allude to my faith each time I talk to you guys, but I have never really laid it all there, so to speak. That changes today! I grew up in a Christian home from birth. I went to church, Sunday School, children’s choir, children’s mission organizations (shout out to all my fellow Girls in Action!), Vacation Bible School, camps, retreats... if it had to do with church, more than likely, my family was in attendance. I have heard the gospel many times over the course of my forty-two years, but it became very real to me when I was eight years old. That is when I asked the Lord to forgive my sins, come into my life, and lead me forever. It is not that I was some religious phenom who understood the doctrines of the ages as a third grader. However, I did know that I wanted to go to Heaven and be with Jesus when I died. I also understood that my behavior and good deeds would not cut it at the entry gate either. I am not saying I was involved in an elementary school crime ring or anything of the like; I just knew, down deep, that I could not get where I wanted to go on my own. One Sunday, one of my friends from school got baptized during our church service. As I watched, I felt in my heart that I needed
to do the same thing. I leaned over and whispered as much to my dad. I have a feeling it must have been an “Emily whisper,” which is equivalent in decibels to an average person’s elevated inside voice, because he shushed me and said we could talk about it after church. When my parents and I did talk about how I was feeling, they were initially cautious. This was a REALLY big decision, and I did not have a whole lot of experience making those at the time. Heck, given the photographic evidence of what I decided to wear on a regular basis during this period, I would have questioned my decision-making ability too! Still, I was persistent (hard to believe... ha!), and at last, they gave in and asked our pastor, Dr. Charles Redmond, to come and talk to me. This was back in the day when pastors made house calls, so we set up a day for him to come to our home and visit with us. I still remember sitting on the couch with him and listening to him explain the gospel in a way that was so crystal clear to me. I felt a tug in my heart when he talked about all people being sinners and unworthy of God’s love. But because God is so gracious and loves us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus, to live a sinless life and yet die a criminal’s death on the cross in our place. For the first time, I realized I was the reason for Jesus having to die. I was a sinner. His sacrifice paid my debt. He was buried on Good Friday and was in
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LIFE & STYLE
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