Amazing Grace

I had to write this paper for my English class, and I've gotten a lot of positive feed back for it.  Figured this would make a great first post on my blog =)  Feel free to share.. This is my memoir on the day I was Saved.


Being Saved is something many people can relate to, especially here in the Bible belt of the country. We all have our own stories and different circumstances that brought us to knowing Christ, and it’s definitely a life changing experience. Since that Easter morning, my life will never be the same.
I remember waking up excited, but also very nervous. I must have tried a thousand different outfits on. What did ‘church people’ wear anyway? I had no clue. It’s funny because looking back I couldn’t tell you what I wore or how my hair was, or how I wore my makeup. None of that mattered.
I had no idea what to expect. I was raised in what you could call the opposite of a religious family. My dad devoted his life to serving our country in the United States Army, which left my brother and I with our mentally ill mother who turned to alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of her own childhood memories that seem to still haunt her. She taught me that ‘Bible thumpers’ were weird, judgmental, horrible people that I was never to associate with. I had absolutely no prior knowledge to who or what God was and what His Son did for us on that cross, all those years ago. Still, I felt a higher calling and was led to church that Easter morning.
Walking in, there were smiling faces everywhere. There were even people directing us to where we should park our car. I remember the church was made of gray bricks, it was small, but beautiful. There were beautiful plants everywhere outside and in the middle of the sidewalk leading to the entrance was a beautiful stone water fountain. It was an oasis in a desert wonderland.
After dropping our son Elijah off in their upstairs childcare, we slowly made our way to our seats. A few of our friends from the Marine Corps had accompanied us there. I remember the plush, black chairs and the stage. There were fog machines going and lots of lights. I remember the big clock that hung on the back wall. It was beautiful.
Then, the music started and we all stood, ready to worship and sing songs to our Lord. I didn’t know any of the words, as I had never heard them but I followed along as best as I could. I remember just being memorized by it all. I belonged there.
The older, blonde pastor came out after the worship music had ended and everyone stopped and turned around and said “Welcome Home!” to all of the new faces. He gave a great sermon, the true Easter story, as I had never heard it before and no, it didn’t include any Easter bunnies! At the end of the service he asked if anyone was ready to die to themselves and be born again in Christ. I felt a strong feeling come over me. “Do it, do it” it said. So I raised my hand and my husband followed my lead. We made our way up there, nervous and excited, hand in hand. Not knowing where this new journey would take us, but trusting God to lead the way.
We bowed our heads and prayed, “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead. I trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus name, Amen!”
A feeling of relief, like a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders flooded over me. Like all the years I had spent trying to fill this hole had finally been filled.
I was a teen mom, raised in a dysfunctional home and had been through a lot. I didn’t know where to turn or how to live. I tried many things that I am not proud of and nothing has ever made me feel as complete as Jesus. No one on this Earth can love me the way He does.
If anyone can take anything away from reading this, I would hope it would be, there truly is power in the name of Jesus. It isn’t just a saying or lyrics to a song. It’s truth, and real, very real. It doesn’t matter how bad you think you are. No one is beyond the help of God. Jesus didn’t come here to heal the healthy, he came to heal the sick. I am a child of the One True King and you can be too!