STERLING HEIGHTS – When I think of my salvation story, I remember the most important times during my life that make up my testimony, but in reality, I see the proof and am reminded and feel saved every day.
I had a rough time in high school because I wanted to be friendly and make friends with anyone, which seemed to pull me in many directions. At the beginning of freshman year my grandma passed away and my grandpa passed just a few months after. I was learning just how short and precious life could be, and I also began gathering a lot of questions and thoughts about what happens after death.
My family had been going to Memorial Baptist church for about 7 years and I was faithfully attending youth group. I was 16 years old when I realized I did not want to go to Hell. I accepted Christ as my Savior, was baptized, and continued to enjoy my friend group at church. Though my life didn’t change much, I tried to keep learning, reading, and talking to God, but only when I felt it fit into the life I wanted.
I graduated high school and started my first job. My life started to fill up and didn’t leave room for church, studying the Bible, or even my friends from church. I started to think, say and do things that I thought were best for me. I made some poor choices and ended up living a life that I didn’t love at all, in fact it was uncomfortable, hard, and just wrong.
During this time, I knew I missed my church family, so I started going back to church, and they welcomed me with open arms. I had the Holy Spirit the whole time since my salvation, and if you don’t know already, it’s exhausting trying to justify your wrong life with the Holy Spirit who knows what is good and perfect for you. I was always making excuses, or trying to find ways to appear like a Christian without really asking God what he thought of my life.
Through some tough and heartbreaking circumstances, God made a way for me to grow into the life he wanted for me. I took time to heal, learn, and talk with God. He and I had moments of tears, happiness, and even sarcasm (He made my sense of humor after all). I started to fall in love with spending time with the Lord, after all this time of not wanting to be alone, I realized that with Jesus as my Savior. I was never alone.
When I was 24 years old, I was trying to sleep one night when my mind kept racing, and I just surrendered everything to Him. Every thought, every action, and especially every feeling. That night I understood that when I was 16 years old, I had accepted Jesus as my Savior but now He also became Lord of my life. And goodness, let me tell you I have been on the best adventure since.
People sometimes think handing your life over to Christ means you no longer can do fun or exciting things, and some even think that you are now proclaiming that you are perfect. Both of those ways of thinking could not be more incorrect. Since totally surrendering my life to Christ’s will, I have traveled many places in the world, learned new things, and met new exciting people. I am nowhere near perfect and I need a LOT of work, but He is guiding me, teaching me, and allowing me to teach and help others through my struggles, too. Amen for that! I pray that whoever reads this not only knows Christ personally, but that you allow Him to take you on the best adventure, His plan for your life!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Megan is married to David Line. I enjoy serving in many different ways through the Memorial Baptist Church in Sterling Heights. A current find joy in my life is serving both on the Michigan WMU team and at Bambi Lake.