Everyone Has a Beginning

I was raised Catholic, mainly because my dad's family were practicing Catholics. Everything was so ritualistic, we did things because we had to. I grew up knowing that Jesus died on the cross, but the way I was taught...it was as if He had to, simply because he was the Son of God. I went through the motions because I had to, not because I wanted to. It's sad to say, that is the way I thought religion went. God was God and I had to go through my First Communion to make Him happy. I had to confess my sins to a priest and say my pennants for Him to forgive me.

In the summer after I turned 13, my parents were going through a divorce. My sister and I went to stay with my grandparents (on my mother's side). My Grandma was a Baptist - and I found myself in a completely different world! "Why do these people sing so much? Why is the preacher so excited? Why aren't they kneeling and crossing themselves? They all look so happy! Something is Definitely wrong here!" I couldn't have been more wrong...... :-)

My Grandmother sent me to church camp for a week. The second night at camp is what changed my life. I still remember it like it was yesterday..... I was crammed into a small worship center with about a 100 middle schoolers - It was probably 150 degrees. When the youth director started talking about salvation, I felt as if he was talking directly to me....suddenly, there was no one else around me and my mind was swimming with his words.

He explained that Jesus was sent to this earth to save ME. He suffered and died on the cross for ME....so that I can be forgiven.....and go to heaven....to be with Him. Not because he HAD to, but because He wanted to. He loved ME that much!

I know it sounds cheesy, but really, in that 150 degree weather, I felt a chill - and it felt like this cloud that had been fogging up my head was removed.... Believe it or not, in my 13 years of life, I had a LOT that needed to be forgiven (and that is a different post :-) )....but it was more than that....it was a certain comfort that I felt. I knew from that point on, I was safe.....I would be ok.....because with Son of God on my side....how can I not be?