I grew up in a small town in Spartanburg County where I attended a local Methodist church. Every Sunday morning my family faithfully attended church. We followed most Sunday services with a trip to Rutherfordton, North Carolina to visit my paternal grandparents. They had a nightly ritual that had a huge impact on my life. Following their viewing of the “I Love Lucy” sitcom, they had Bible study and prayer. Throughout my childhood, I knew there was something different about my grandparents, and not just the “alien” way they lived. They actually had a relationship with Jesus Christ and were living, breathing examples of the joy it brought to their lives. It wasn’t until many years later that I understood that they weren’t just planting seeds to grow food on that farm, but they were planting seeds in me to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Around the age of twelve, I attended a Billy Graham Crusade in North Carolina with my best friend, Sherry. She and I had been best friends for several years, and Sherry was one of the happiest, God-loving kids I knew. It was by her invitation to go with her to this crusade that day that I came to know the Lord. At the end of the service, Mr. Graham invited anyone who wanted to accept Jesus as his or her Savior to walk down to the front of the coliseum. I made my way down that aisle, which seemed at that tender age to be several miles long, with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of strangers. To receive Christ as my Savior, I admitted that I was a sinner and asked for forgiveness. I professed my belief that Jesus died on a cross for my sins and that he arose from the dead. Then, I invited Jesus into my heart and life. Immediately, an overwhelming peace came over me.

After returning home, I eagerly began to study God’s Word and apply Biblical scriptures to my life. Sadly, as the years passed, I began to lose the joy of my salvation. My problem was quite simple really. I didn’t put God first in my life! You see, I put my job and kids first. Several years ago my life took a “sour-turn!” Health issues forced me to give up my beloved teaching career and to take a long, hard look at my life and priorities. It took being knocked off my feet – literally bedridden- to surrender my life totally to Jesus and put Him first. Since then, the joy of my salvation has returned ten-fold. Sometimes I feel as if I’m going to burst with love for Him. This doesn’t mean that I’m not faced with the storms of life anymore, just that now I trust Him completely to carry me through each one.

My whole life is different now! I truly have “a peace that passes all understanding.” Thanks to Jesus, I have a second calling to do things differently in my life now - put Him first and plant seeds for Salvation, just like my grandparents did many years ago.