Chuck Moore
Neither of my parents attended church during my lifetime, ever. Thankfully, my grandparents, aunts and uncles were there to pick up the slack. As a child, my Grandmother asked me if I believed Jesus was the Son of God and died for my sins. I told her that I did believe. She asked if I would accept Christ as my Savior, and I said yes. She said a prayer with me that night that, but I never came forward publicly, was never baptized, and I never changed. Shortly thereafter, I began to rebel against everything, including God. I dived into the traps that ensnare a lot of young people. As I went through college, I got deeper and deeper into that hole, consumed with my own self-indulgence. Many times I should have been dead or in jail, but the Lord was watching over me even as I had my back on him. Many of those times were wake up calls I just ignored.
As a husband and parent, I dropped a lot of my vices, but my selfish attitude was still the controlling factor in my life. I thought, “I can show my family what they need to know about God myself.” WRONG! Then tragedy struck. Tragedy that jumps out of nowhere and enlightens you that not only is everything not well, but everything is very wrong. Tragedy that brings a man to his knees, then back to the Lord in prayer, as there is nowhere else to turn, no one else who can help. I prayed through tears, “Lord, Father, Wh…” But before I could finish that little three-letter question, He answered. I believe the Lord speaks to us all in various ways, including our own inner-conscious, and that is how it had to be with me because I wasn’t reading the Bible. “What did you expect? You’ve turned your back to Me for many years. Your own children, whom you say you love more than anything, only know me in passing. What does that say?”
This time, I heard. I immediately prayed for forgiveness, and knew that was the only way out of the darkness. I continued to pray, began to read the Bible, and let my family know that I had failed them by not giving them a relationship with the Father. They knew something was lacking in our lives also, and were open to Christ. We sought out a church, and continued to grow in Christ through prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. After attending a short time, we all prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and were baptized. We are young Christians, but we are still growing in His love everyday. Most parents want their children to have a better life than they had. I could die today and know that is a done deal.
Posted in I Faced a Tragedy ,
