4/365 The decision

So on that day, June 26, 1991, I responded. After going to the front of the room and kneeling with countless other teens, I had the chance to talk about what I was there. The counselor was a college student I looked up to. The kind of girl I hoped to become someday. She and I talked about why I felt like I needed to come. I asked her why other people came and she said for lots of reasons, but the only one that mattered was why I came. 

I didn't really have words for what I was experiencing. I came forward because I did. As I explained before, it wasn't an action I put of lot of thought into. I just knew I wanted to. So we talked about that. We talked about what the pastor had been preaching about - salvation and repentance and person choice. She asked me if I wanted to make a choice to follow Jesus. I knew at that point, that was exactly what I wanted. 

I want to be VERY clear here, especially for people following this blog who may come from a different spiritual point of view. I made this choice completely without fear of damnation, hell or disappointing God. I was fortunate enough to have a spiritual up bringing that was for the most part free of fire and brimstone. I don't really recall ever hearing talk of hell as a child. My choice was choice made of informed decision (as informed as any 13 ever is) and love. 

The choice I made that night was simple to me. I wanted my life to be part of something. I wanted my actions to count towards a goal. For me that goal was being a Christian. I wasn't really sure what that meant, being Christian, but I decided to find out. We talked about that for a while, the fact that it wasn't an ending, that I wasn't approaching the conclusion of a journey, but rather beginning one. Similar to a long, winding road trip - I may not know exactly what roads to take, but I now knew what my destination was. 

With my counselor that night, I prayed. She said a simple prayer about admitting my sins, believing that Jesus died because of my sins and wanting to follow God in my life and I repeated after her. 

Imagine my surprise when much later that night, I discovered that my friend M. had a nearly identical experience!