"You've been walking with me all this time"

It dawned on me that this year marks a milestone: I’ve been a Christian for 35 years now.  I gave my life to Jesus Christ when I was 6, and I’m 41 years old.  Wow.  First off, seeing that in word form makes me feel old. 

Over the years, as I have shared my story of how I became a Christian, some have dismissed this.  They have contended that I was too young to really know what I was doing.  Certainly I didn’t know everything from A to Z.  But even at that young of an age, I knew that I was a sinner, and I knew that I needed Jesus to be my Savior; because He was the only One who was qualified to save me from my sins.  In the late 1980s, I made a choice that changed me forever – to surrender my heart and life to Jesus.  It was the best decision I have ever made.

Furthermore, I found a fascinating paragraph on someone being saved as a child that I found so helpful that I want to share it here.  In an article on some reasons why a person might doubt his or her salvation experience, this author writes,

“Some people, especially those who were saved at a very young age, doubt their salvation because they don’t remember their conversion very well, and they wonder if the decision they made as a child was genuine.  Such feelings are common in adults who were saved as children.  In such cases, it is good to review the promises of God and remember that Jesus invites children to come to Him (Mark 10:14).  Salvation is based on the grace of God and faith in Christ, not our knowledge, wisdom, or sophistication (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Jesus promised that those who are His will “never perish” (John 10:28).  If doubts persist about the genuineness of your childhood conversion, make sure of your faith.  Regardless of what you did as child, do you believe now that Jesus died for your sins and rose again?  Are you placing your faith in Him alone?”

(You can find the entirety of this article - at this link)

If someone were asking me those questions: today, do I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again?  And am I placing my faith in Him alone? I would answer with a wholehearted yes.  Earlier this month, I shared that I recently went through a very difficult season of life.  I actually described it as one of the most difficult chapters of my entire life.  It was during that season that was so dark, shattering, and painful that I learned an invaluable lesson.  Corrie Ten Boom, who was miraculously released from a Nazi concentration camp, put it best: “You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have.”  Hebrews 13:5 says, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

In conclusion, as I was putting all of this together, a song came to my mind.  I hadn’t thought about this song for quite a while now, as it was released back in 2012.  But Britt Nicole sings of her salvation experience in the song “All this time”.  She describes when she was “hiding in my bedroom.  So alone; I was doing my best, trying to be strong.  No one to turn to, that’s when I met You.  [Chorus] All this time, from the first tear cry to today’s sunrise, and every moment between, You were there.  You were always there.  It was You and I; You’ve been walking with me all this time.  Ever since that day it’s been clear to me that no matter what comes, You will never leave.  I know You’re for me, and You’re restoring.”  For all of these years, God has been walking with me too.  All the glory, honor, and praise belongs to Him.

God bless,

Kevin