By grace...

This week here at W2W Ministries, we are doing a series called "What’s True About You!" Each day our writers will share their testimony of what God has done in their life, and what’s true about them. We're doing a beautiful Dayspring giveaway which includes Holley Gerth’s new book, “What’s True About You”, a journal, and a journaling kit. Be sure to enter by clicking HERE. 

I have always loved Jesus. From my earliest memories He was very real to me. I was so young that I can't remember the first time that I asked Him to forgive me of my sins and to come into my heart. I do remember asking Him into my heart repeatedly whenever I felt that I had done something wrong or when there was an "altar call" at church or a question of "who wants to give their heart to Jesus?" in Sunday School class. My sensitive spirit, tender conscience, and the lack of teaching on assurance of salvation in the churches we attended contributed to this. I also didn't fully understand salvation by grace. When I failed at being good enough, I'd just go back to square one and get saved again!

In spite of my lack of full understanding, Jesus and I had a strong friendship. You've heard of children having invisible friends?  When my best friend moved across town and no longer walked to school with me, I used to imagine Jesus walking to school with me instead. I guess you could say that Jesus was my invisible friend. He was also my confidant. Things between Mama and Daddy weren't good, and while I sensed it more than understood it, I would lay in bed at night and talk to Jesus about all my worries and fears.

When I was in fourth grade Daddy left Mama and us kids. Shortly afterward, we began to attend a a little church in the next town over. That church became our support system. They loved our little broken family into wholeness. I could go on and on about various milestones in my relationship with Christ that happened in the following years, but perhaps the most significant one happened when I was about sixteen years old. I read the book by Fritz Ridenour, How to be a Christian Without Being Religious. It is a study on the book of Romans. I finally understood that I could do nothing to earn or deserve my salvation, it was a free gift of God by grace. I also grew to understand that God doesn't cut me out of His family whenever I mess up. I learned that I didn't have to go back to square one, I just needed to repent and to keep moving forward. What an "ah ha" moment that was for me!

That was forty five years ago, and I've had many, many "ah ha" moments in my relationship with God since then. I get excited just thinking about all that God has taught me and brought me through. He has been so good, so kind, so patient, so tender and so loving to me. And all these years later, He's still my "invisible friend" that walks with me and the One I talk to about anything and everything.