An Irresistible Invitation

When I was sixteen years old, my family moved from the glitter and glam of Southern California to the small town of Roanoke in the mountains of Southwestern Virginia. I was a junior in high school and like any other new person in a new community, I knew no one except for the people I had met at my dad's office that summer.

The very first day of school, I sat down in the second row of study hall. I always liked sitting a row or two back in class - not right in front staring up the teacher's nose, but close enough to where the teacher would see that I was interested in learning. Study hall wasn't any different. I knew I would not be one to clown around, so I just did what I always do and sat toward the front.

That day, the study hall teacher gave us an opportunity to talk with the people around us. So I figured I would turn around and introduce myself. I hadn't met anyone yet, and lunch break was coming! It was scary back then, thinking about heading to the cafeteria and sitting down with complete strangers. Fortunately for me, a sweet girl from Texas just happened to be the person sitting behind me. Amazingly, it was also her very first day at this Virginia school. We became instant friends.

The world's first selfie, circa 1989, with my sweet Texas friend

A short time later, she invited me to join her on a trip with her church. I chose to go for social reasons mostly, because I really liked her. I also hoped to get to know some other people and be happy in my new environment. That church trip was memorable for two reasons. First, I experienced my first real kiss with a boy. Now that is getting socially acquainted! The second reason the trip was memorable was because it was the first time I heard the truth about who Jesus Christ was.

I always had considered myself a "good person," even at the young age of sixteen. A year or two before that, early in high school, I had made commitments to avoid alcohol and drugs. I also had made a personal commitment to stay pure sexually until marriage. My friends for the most part described me as a sweet and smart girl who loved everyone including all my teachers - a real goody two shoes.

At that young age I also recognized myself as a "spiritual" person - someone with deep thoughts and emotions. Even though I wasn't raised in the church, there was no doubt in my mind that God was real. As a young person I had already seen both American coasts, the Grand Canyon, the giant redwoods in California, and the plush Blue Ridge Mountains changing colors through the seasons. I innately knew those things had to be designed and created by an intelligent being much greater than I.

My spirituality went beyond just knowing there was a God though. I had some head knowledge of who Jesus Christ was, based on things I'd heard over the years. I didn't have any trouble intellectually believing His birth was the reason Christmas was celebrated and His death and resurrection was the real reason behind celebrations at Easter. But something inside of me wanted to know more. I desired to learn more facts about who Jesus was, and I longed for an emotional connection with God.

The church trip with my new friends was fun. I remember staying up past light's out giggling with my Texas friend as I described my first kiss to her in detail. That is something we still giggle about to this day! Our group sang songs by a campfire and rode paddle boats along a lake. There were also small group meetings where we would talk about things that were all new to me. In one of these meetings, the youth pastor asked us all to answer the question, "Who is Jesus?" Not coming from a church background, I was happy I could come up with an answer at all to avoid embarrassment. When it was my turn to answer, I recall saying, "He is God's son." The pastor was satisfied with that answer, so I exhaled a sigh of relief. As we continued around the room, one of the kids answered the question this way:

"He is God."

That answer came as a huge surprise to me. I didn't know about the concept of the Trinity at that time, and I never before had considered Jesus Christ to be the same God who created all those beautiful things I had seen around me growing up. That one answer, "He is God," jump started my spirit and caused me to seek more answers from some Christian friends I met on that trip. I began attending church after that time and got to know a sweet young mother who taught our high school Sunday School class. She was kind and accepting of me even though I am sure she knew I was an outsider, part Yankee, part California girl. She must have sensed I was searching. One of the things I remember her doing was encouraging the other kids in class to reach out to me and help answer any questions I may have had. So they did. My sweet friend from Texas bought me a Bible for Christmas, and a few others came to my house to answer my questions. My spirit was attracted to and comforted by the Bible the more I read it. I was also grateful my friends cared enough about me to try and help me believe in this Jesus they spoke of. When I was alone in my room, I would pray to God and ask Him to help me to have clarity about what I was learning. All I wanted was to believe. It was as if I knew this was my future, but my spirit wouldn't quite let go of its own pride.

A short time later, we all were singing in a youth choir concert at church. At the end of the service, we were lined up against the walls singing our last song. I suddenly felt a comforting warmth come over me, and I heard God tell my spirit that it was time to just believe. So I did. It was an irresistible invitation, and I accepted it. In that very moment, a divine exchange occurred between God and me, and it felt amazing! As I accepted Him, He accepted me. I knew in the deepest parts of my spirit that because of that decision, my eternity with God was secure. His Holy Spirit came to live inside me that day, and I have never been the same since.

Throughout high school and college, I followed Jesus. Day by day, I would read devotionals and pray. Unlike many college kids, I continued to abstain from the party scene and sexual activity. I married young and served in the church. My desire was to follow God, but I was also confident in my own ability to make good choices. In my twenties and thirties, I felt like I was a good person capable of making the right decisions, and I wanted other people to know it. The truth was I was filled with pride and didn't even realize it.

Honestly, I don't think I was alone in my thinking. Most individuals think they are good people, and if asked, would answer with, "Yes, I am a pretty good person." In fact, many of us spend a large portion of our lives trying to make others think we are good people and that all is going well for us. Particularly in social circles, we seek to bring ourselves glory and to magnify all that is good about us, so we will be well liked. Social media has only increased the natural inclination to puff ourselves up.

The perception we have of our own goodness also shapes our judgement of others. Society generally holds the belief that humans do and should possess more innate goodness than evil, so when something seems askew from our world view, we judge. We have all seen that idea played out during this presidential election as supporters of each side assume the worst about followers on the opposing side.

Perhaps because we take on the role of judge, measuring what is considered bad or good among our peers, it has contributed to the overwhelming societal view that this is also how the creator of the universe views things. When it comes to eternal matters, many in our society believe that our good deeds versus our bad deeds will be what is ultimately judged by God, and it is that measure of our overall life that will determine our eternal destiny.

Television and movies perpetuate this thinking by selling the idea that at the end of our lives, we all will cross the pearly gates and our maker will stand us in a judgement line to determine our final worth based on how we've chosen to live. The thought is our good deeds will be weighed against our bad deeds. God will look at your life on earth and determine that you were mostly good, thus giving you a pass into heaven. Recently polls suggest that a large majority of Americans believe in heaven, and most of those same people believe they will make it there based on their own worth or good deeds done on this earth.

Some mainline Protestant Christian denominations and most Catholic churches regularly teach this philosophy as gospel: that good works are what truly matter in this life. And that is tragic, because it isn't about being good enough. None of us could ever be good enough in our own merit to match a matchless God. One sin - just one mistake - separates us from the creator because He is perfectly good and sinless. Even the holiest among us falls short at least once. This is why God originally instituted the sacrificial system among the Israelites before the birth of Christ. According to Scriptural and historical accounts, only a blood sacrifice from an innocent life could atone for one's sins and restore one's relationship with God. Animals were innocent, so a lamb would be chosen to atone for sins and draw people to God. The Israelites later tried to follow the law recorded by Moses, but the law's purpose was ultimately to show people how impossible it was to follow in full.

The essence of the true Christian message is that our spiritual merit before a perfectly Holy God could not ever be based on what we do. Something drastic had to occur to bridge the gap between our sinfulness and God's holiness and to make it possible for human beings to experience communion with Him. God the Father chose to send His one and only Son, the very essence of Himself, as a mediator for all of humanity. That man's name was Jesus Christ. That kid back in that small group meeting was absolutely correct. Jesus is God! He was the culmination of the Passover Lamb.

God has created us as relational beings, so our spirits long to have a relationship with Him. That longing is stirred for some as children, some, like me, as teenagers, and some at different stages of adulthood. Be sensitive to that feeling when it comes, because that is God calling you to Himself.

When we recognize our inability to be good enough and acknowledge Jesus Christ as that mediator for us, to just believe as I did that day after the youth choir concert, a divine exchange occurs for us. His sacrifice on the cross covers our smallest and biggest sins. All of it is wiped away forever. That fact allows us to stand before God and spend eternity in heaven. Not because of us, but because of Him!

Recognizing your true human nature is important, because it allows you to seek humility and allow the glory to be where it belongs - with God alone. When we understand what Christianity really is, we can also share the gospel authoritatively in love, because what Christ did for us is miraculously loving.

Understanding the true Christian message was a process for me personally because it is easy to believe what society is teaching. My human nature - and yours - is to want to take some credit. However, something happened to me a few years ago, and a process has taken place in my soul to get me to a point where the song "Amazing Grace," truly means something to me. I had to be broken. The years surrounding my divorce were a spiritual turning point. Any security I had in my former marital commitment was ripped from me. People I thought cared abandoned me. I made some mistakes too through that time causing unnecessary pain for others. Some of the losses have not been recovered, but some beautiful things have come from all that pain. The Lord brought me Jonathan. I have never known love like what we experience daily. God has also drawn me to Himself in ways I never thought possible. And miraculously, a person I hurt deeply in my life offered me complete forgiveness. I hope to write about that particular situation more in the future, because the love and forgiveness she displayed toward me significantly impacted me.

I am grateful God is bringing me to a place where there is less of me and more of Him. It is a freeing feeling to know His love for me is not at all dependent on what I do or don't do. It is completely - totally - dependent on what He has already done. Worship increases and pride decreases when we recognize this truth and take the focus off of ourselves. An irresistible invitation is open to all.