The Testimony of My Salvation
I don’t remember much about that
day. I was only two years old. Now, you may think that this is too young for
anyone to make such a drastic decision about their life – but, for me, it
wasn’t.
I’m not sure what it was exactly
that caused me to realize I needed a relationship with God – when I think back I almost think I remember a
bedtime prayer when I didn’t feel as though God was hearing me because I had
not asked Jesus into my heart. Like I
said, though, that part is not quite clear. What I do remember is waking up one
morning, I’m pretty sure it was a Sunday, and deciding I wanted to give my life
to God and I wanted both of my parents to be there when I did.
As a child, I thought – I guess
from stories I had heard – that someone was led to salvation by being shown
Bible verses and told that they were a sinner, why they needed a Savior, what
Jesus had done, and how to pray. I also, figured Mom and Dad would ask me
questions about why I wanted to make this choice and so I spent some time
determining my answer.
I waited until evening, just before
bed. And this is where my memory becomes quite clear. I went into my room and
got my little, green New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs. With it clutched
in my hand, I walked into the living room where Mom and Dad sat talking. I told
them that I had decided I wanted to give my life to the Lord and asked if they would
pray with me.
My parents, thinking that I was too
young and that this was just a passing fancy of the moment, told me I could go
ahead and pray my own words and they would listen. I remember being
disappointed that they hadn’t shown me any verses. But I knelt in front of the
sofa, hands folded, eyes closed and prayed anyway. No one but God remembers
what I said. My parents have told me that they remember looking at each other
in astonishment over how much my prayer showed I understood – that, after that,
they didn’t doubt my sincerity. All I remember is that in that moment I knew that God heard my prayer. I knew that I could talk to Him now and
not have to worry if He heard. I knew I belonged to Him now and He would always
be there, always be listening, always be watching over me. It was the best day
of my life.
Years passed. When I was seven, my
Sunday School teacher asked if anyone wanted to pray and ask Jesus into their
heart. She did this every week and rarely did anyone take her up on it. I
always felt sorry for her when no one did. This particular week one of my
friends raised her hand and said that she had already gotten saved, but asked
if she could pray again, just in case. The teacher agreed saying it was a good
idea to “be sure you are saved.” When she said that, it made me wonder if maybe
I had been too young the first time and I decided I should pray again, “just in
case.” So, I did. That week. The next month. Almost every time I was in a
church service and there was an altar call. I would get up and “get saved
again, just in case.” I lived constantly wondering if I really did belong to
the Lord or not. Wondering if maybe, on the last day, I would be one of the
ones on the left, wondering where I went wrong. (Matthew 25: 41-46)
I never told my parents of my
uncertainty; it took several years for me to finally realize that all the insecurity
and doubt was keeping me from growing in my relationship with God. The Holy
Spirit used a lot of things to help me realize that spiritual growth and development
occurs only after one is born again. He showed me that I needed to leave my
salvation up to Him and quit worrying about the final state of my soul. I
needed to begin to focus on the present state of my soul and start growing
spiritually. Not long after I started doing this, I received the gift of baptism
in the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues. That experience convinced
me that God had chosen me as His own and sealed me with His Spirit. (John
14:16-18, 26; Acts 2)
There is so much more I have to
learn, but I am so grateful that I was blessed with the opportunity of
dedicating my life to the Lord so young and to have been kept from a lot of the
bad situations and influences that many others have had to face.
God loves us. He sent His Son to
die for us. And He did not send Him to keep us wondering if we were good enough
or not. Jesus came for one reason alone – to save our souls. (John 3:16 -17)
You may not have had the
opportunity that I did. But if you haven’t, there is great news: you can do
that right now! Just like I learned, it’s not what you say, or who says what to
you. You just have to be sincere and know
that God is calling you. He will give you the words to say if you just
listen. Then you will never have to be alone, and you will also have the
assurance of knowing that He will hear your every prayer from this moment on.
Jesus will seal you for eternity; you
will be in Heaven with Him and everyone else who has given their lives to His
service. (2 Chronicles 7:14; John 6:40)
See
you there!
~ToriLynn
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