June 6, 2009

Greetings My Friend,

As we were preparing to move, we had a friend doing some repairs on our home helping us out. He is a man we both look up to. He has a lot of wisdom and when he tells us about things he has run into in his life; well I tend to listen with an extra ear to what he is saying. He was telling about a lady who had accepted Christ and began attending church. She went for many years and was praying that her brother would come to know Jesus. She prayed that prayer for many years. Her brother was killed instantly and it appears that he never accepted Christ. She was angry at God because she had prayed for him and he never came to Christ. She stopped going to church, stopped believing in Jesus. At first when I heard it, I thought “No Duh!.”

I kept reflecting on this story and I realized that I had been praying this prayer for many years now myself. Each day Junior and I pray for our children, our family and friends along with neighbors, co-workers etc. I pray that they would know Jesus, accept his gift of salvation and also for blessing and protection in their lives. There have been many times that we have seen Christ working in their lives. To my amazement, each of our children has a job, have a place to live, etc. God is taking care of those we love dearly in many ways. The more I thought about this story I realized that I thought that “just” because I prayed for them to know Jesus, that they would one day accept Jesus into their hearts.

I have this silly saying I say often. “If I say please, well that means you have to do it.” I found myself realizing that on some level I had that attitude about the ones we love one day coming to know Christ. I prayed for them to accept Christ, and then God would make them accept Salvation. The more I reflected on this story, the more I realized that they may choose not to accept Christ as their Savior. One of the things I have grown to love about God is that He is a gentleman. God does not push Himself on us. We have the choice to accept His love, His grace and allow Him to be the center of our lives. I repeat, we have the choice to accept Jesus as our Savior or not. Well, I have to admit, that one hurt a whole lot. I want the people I love to come to know the Jesus I love. I want them to find the sweet peace He brings to our lives if we allow Him to be the center of our hearts, our lives.

I almost felt God asking me, “Will you love me even if ….. they don’t accept me?” I felt myself struggling before answering God. In the end, I decided to love God first, to be honest though it was a struggle.

I started to reflect on God even more. As I recalled various stories, well, I saw again how God has created each of us with the opportunity to choose. Satan was the most beautiful of all God’s creation and Satan wanted to be God and chose not to follow God. Eve allowed Satan to deceive her and we are the result of that decision. We have choice – God created us to choose, not to be robots.

Through the years I have heard of people praying for loved ones to come to know Jesus. Some people have prayed for decades and then one day that loved one accepted Jesus. Some accepted Jesus many years before they died and went on to have a wonderful walk with the Lord. Others have accepted Jesus on their death beds. I believe that God wants me to continue to pray – even if they have not accepted Jesus. I believe one of the lessons I continually learn from the Lord is to learn how to think of others. Many times when I have thought of something or someone besides myself, well, I’ve been able to grow or to move past pain, a struggle or some road block in my life.

As I reflected on all of this, another thought came to mind as well. A few years ago a co-worker commented how could there be a “God” when people will throw their babies in a dumpster, why wouldn’t God save that very innocent child. I had a hard time responding to that question in my heart, to her. As the years have passed though, I began to see that God gives us a choice and for many of us we choose awful things, to dump a baby in a dumpster… you name it. God gave us a choice. More often than not, we choose what feels good at the moment instead of looking to God and asking Him to help us decide on life. We choose to live life our own way as well and then when we get in a mess, well for many of us that is when we want God to clean up the mess.

At times I find myself grateful having a “before” and a life “after” story. I can see the very unhappy woman I once was and now I am a very content woman. I know pain without hope and now I still often have pain, but I have hope. God is teaching me. As I read my Bible, as I pray and as I fellowship with other believers, I find that my life has moved from constant turmoil, to sweet contentment. Just because I accept Jesus as my Savior, I am not freed from day to day fear and anxiety. In Jesus though, I have hope and hope can really give me strength to face life. Will I ever be perfect? No. I can’t in this life. God will teach me, lead me and in that I find hope.

Life here on earth is a learning process. To me it is a preparation for the “here-after.” If we choose Jesus, well, we will one day be in heaven and working and fellowshipping and what we learn will be used in heaven in some way. If we don’t choose Jesus, life will be a constant struggle, full of pain – pain I cannot imagine. I pray, that each one of you think hard about your opportunity to choose.

May God bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you.

Love

Janet