TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
the tomb until the third day (Easter) when He rose again from the dead. Because of all that Jesus has done, I could now have eternal life if I would confess my sins (of which were many even then), turn to Jesus, and receive His forgiveness. Even as a young girl, I knew this was the absolute BEST deal I could ever make. Jesus got all the bad stuff and gave me all the good stuff because He loves me?! Absolutely, I will follow Him! So, I bowed my head and gave my life to Jesus through a sincere prayer from a heart that was so sorry it had caused Him such pain. Essentially, as my pastor, Dr. Jeff Schreve, says, “I gave all I knew of me at that point to all I knew of Jesus.” You know, I can still recall the feelings of absolute joy and relief I experienced at that moment. I suspect that I will feel that way all the time once I go home to heaven. Ever since my head came up from the prayer I prayed when I made my confession and claimed Jesus as Lord, I have been living my life in a relationship with Him. Talking to Him, and asking for His help, advice, mercy, and forgiveness more and more regularly as the years go by. In the beginning, it was weird because I had never really talked to Him before. But as I have practiced it, especially in adulthood, it has become more of an open-ended conversation. Now, let’s have some “real talk” for a moment. Has this journey of following the Lord been all daisies and sunshine? Nope. There have been some really hard moments during my life. Some were circumstantial, and others were because of my own bad decisions.
But God has never left me. When bad things happen to me, He is right there with me, encouraging me through His Word and the people He has allowed to come alongside me when I have needed them the most. When I screw up, He is patient and always willing to hold His hand out to me when I realize I am going to have to humble myself and ask Him for forgiveness and help. But honestly, most of the time, it is daisies and sunshine. Jesus makes me happy. Every good thing I have ever experienced has been exponentially better because I know He is the reason for it, and I can thank Him. Whatever is going on in your life right now, whether good or bad, please know this: if God could love and save a goofy little hazel-eyed, loud-mouthed eight-year-old girl with a mean streak a mile wide and, who even as an adult, tends to think she knows it all, then He definitely loves you and offers you the same gift of salvation! Maybe Easter does not mean much more to you right now than hunting for eggs, a new outfit, and lunch with your family. But it can mean so much more. If you have questions about the Lord or what it means to have a relationship with Him, I would love to talk to you about that. Shoot me an email at esarine@fbctexarkana.org , and we can chat. So that is my story. I pray that it encourages you and that your Easter is more meaningful this year than it has ever been before!
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