Seven Years Ago...

Seven years ago yesterday, my life changed forever. Someone once asked me what was the biggest turning point in my life. I don’t have to think twice – March 21, 2004. What was so special about that day? It was the day I went from being a church goer to a Christ follower. It was the day I drew my line in the sand and chose to be a Christian.

The before and after in my life are so stark. Before Christ, I was bitter and broken, very much a person consumed with myself and thinking that I didn’t need anyone else. I was lonely and cut off from everyone, trying to be good enough to win my way in the world, full of pride and overwhelmingly obnoxious to be around. But something about experiencing the love of God in my life, feeling for the first time His overwhelming love for me, in spite of my failures and my fears, in spite of my selfishness and pride, something about experiencing that love in the deepest part of my soul changed me – it penetrated the depths of my soul and gave me hope for more. At that point in my life, I was good at walking away, but I knew I didn’t want to walk away from that. I realized how desperately I needed that love, how desperately I needed that forgiveness, how desperately I needed that hope.

I was scared to follow Christ. I didn’t know what He might ask of me, where He might call me to go, what He might want in return. I wasn’t so sure I could trust Him with my life, my desires, my plans for my life. But His love was bigger than my fears. If He loved me, His plans for me had to be good. This time, I wouldn’t walk away.

In the years since then, I’ve never regretted that decision. His love is even more real in my life today. I still get overwhelmed when I think about His love and provision in my life. Over the years, the bitterness and the pain that ate me up inside have been replaced by joy and peace and forgiveness. One of the great joys of my life now is community and friendships, and I can’t imagine choosing to go through life alone as I did before. God has changed me from the inside out and has truly given me abundant life and eternal life in Him. I think of the Brandon Heath song, "I'm not who I was," and I thank God that it's true in my life. His love changes everything; it changed me, forever.

Seven years… Happy anniversary, Lord!