Picture a group of Christians sitting together and shooting the breeze. Picture one of those Christians asking the members of the group to share their 'saved story', that one memory that Christians talk about when they found God and accepted Jesus as the savior of their souls and hearts.
Imaginary Christian 1 - "I grew up (neutral denomination placed #1) as a kid and heavy in church. My parents forced me to go twice a week! Fell away for a time in college and was even atheist. Met my wife and went back to God again, this time accepting him for real under (neutral denomination placer #2)."
Imaginary Christian 2 - "I had resisted for years but went to church with my friends one day and when the pastor did a call, I joined others at the front and said the Jesus prayer and felt my spirit being filled and have been a Christian ever since."
Imaginary Christian 3 - "I decided to pray, even though I didn't believe, and I prayed to God and asked Him to save me. Then I felt my spirit come alive and believed."
Real Me - "........."
:crickets:
Yes, really. I have no saved story. I have no magic moment to share where my eyes widened in stunned realization, my heart pitter-pattered in renewal, my life views altered forever in one single moment of time. Well, okay, I do have the wide eyed things and pitter-patter sometimes, just not for a special saved story like so many other Christians do.
I have a terrible memory. From my recollection of things it just seems I always accepted God was there, He was real, and everything was fine and dandy. We were not a church going family. I remember going when I was very small and perhaps this was when I decided God was real. Knowing me, my parents must have told me it was true, I accepted it and never pondered on it again until I reached out sometime when I was a kid.
I know I started praying regularly in Junior High school, and it seemed natural from what I can recall. I don't remember any struggles with this. I started reading the bible in later years, feeling it was the right thing to do. But beyond that, I actually have no saving story where one day I stood up and accepted God in my heart and decided from that day forth to be a believer.
Do I find either superior or inferior? No, not at all. It's great to have a moment where you decided to believe and trust in God and to be able to share that story. It's also great to, as far as you can remember, always be a Christian and not have a single defining moment. Neither is better than the other, because it is the salvation and that priceless relationship with our creator that matters.
Imaginary Christian 1 - "I grew up (neutral denomination placed #1) as a kid and heavy in church. My parents forced me to go twice a week! Fell away for a time in college and was even atheist. Met my wife and went back to God again, this time accepting him for real under (neutral denomination placer #2)."
Imaginary Christian 2 - "I had resisted for years but went to church with my friends one day and when the pastor did a call, I joined others at the front and said the Jesus prayer and felt my spirit being filled and have been a Christian ever since."
Imaginary Christian 3 - "I decided to pray, even though I didn't believe, and I prayed to God and asked Him to save me. Then I felt my spirit come alive and believed."
Real Me - "........."
:crickets:
Yes, really. I have no saved story. I have no magic moment to share where my eyes widened in stunned realization, my heart pitter-pattered in renewal, my life views altered forever in one single moment of time. Well, okay, I do have the wide eyed things and pitter-patter sometimes, just not for a special saved story like so many other Christians do.
I have a terrible memory. From my recollection of things it just seems I always accepted God was there, He was real, and everything was fine and dandy. We were not a church going family. I remember going when I was very small and perhaps this was when I decided God was real. Knowing me, my parents must have told me it was true, I accepted it and never pondered on it again until I reached out sometime when I was a kid.
I know I started praying regularly in Junior High school, and it seemed natural from what I can recall. I don't remember any struggles with this. I started reading the bible in later years, feeling it was the right thing to do. But beyond that, I actually have no saving story where one day I stood up and accepted God in my heart and decided from that day forth to be a believer.
Do I find either superior or inferior? No, not at all. It's great to have a moment where you decided to believe and trust in God and to be able to share that story. It's also great to, as far as you can remember, always be a Christian and not have a single defining moment. Neither is better than the other, because it is the salvation and that priceless relationship with our creator that matters.
