Friday, July 10, 2015

By God's Grace

By God's Grace

Joy Sutton

          I am a "cradle Episcopalian" having been baptized in an Episcopal church as an infant. During my youth I attended Sunday school regularly. In fact, I received several bars to add to my church pin - each representing a year of perfect attendance. Therefore, when I was confirmed at the age of twelve, I felt I was a strong believer in Christ.

During my later adolescent years, however, I made some choices that did not align with the principles of Christianity. In fact, I got myself into situations that could have easily resulted in harmful effects on the rest of my life. I now know that as a youth I had not internalized what being a believer really meant. I thank God for his grace for getting me through those challenging years.

When I entered college, I took a course in Western Civilization. Our textbook and lectures about Jesus made it seem as though He was just a really good teacher who had a powerful effect on the world. I bought into it for a while. After all, I was in college - the place of higher learning. In retrospect, I see this as the beginning of my questioning MY beliefs. Although the Lord started answering, it actually took many years for me to become fully aware that this was happening.

One day, during the end of my college years, I was walking back to my dorm when I suddenly heard a quiet, still voice speaking within me. The inner voice said, "You are short, and I have made a man who is also short to be part of your life." I know this sounds strange. It also did to me! For sure, I did not start looking at every short guy on campus wondering if he was the one. Actually, I totally dismissed this message at the time - not giving it any further thought until much later in my life.

The next year I began my teaching career in Orlando, FL. A few months later a college roommate came to stay with me for a couple months while interning at a high school there. One day Carol came home and said there was a teacher at her school that I HAD to meet. She introduced Jim to me. In three weeks Jim and I were engaged and in three months married. That was 46 years ago. It was only after many years went by that I recalled what I had been told on campus that day. It seemed as though I was meant to wait before it was revealed to me that, in fact, Jim was that short person meant for me. I believe that Carol was instrumental in completing God's plan for me. Carol's brief stay was just long enough for her to help make this connection. Since then, we have only seen Carol once and that was for dinner in the early years of our marriage. We then lost contact with her.

During the early years of our marriage and teaching years, Jim and I did not go to church. We were working just about 24/7 and consumed by our work. After 10 years I had a longing to go to church again. Jim agreed and we started attending. However, after several months we became disillusioned and stopped.

In the following years I developed a close friendship with another teacher who was a strong Christian. She loaned me a fiction book called "Joshua," written by a retired Episcopal priest. Joshua, the main character, represents Jesus in contemporary times. I loved reading this because I could imagine a loving Jesus in today's world. I longed to go to that same church once again so we returned. However, this time we found the new priest's sermons were not warming for our souls. And after attending for weeks, he never even bothered to learn our names. We stopped going to church once more.

When Jim and I retired, we were blessed to be able to live in North Carolina part of the year. It was there that we finally found a church where we were spiritually nourished. However, we still wanted to belong to a church family in Florida. After trying several congregations, we visited the Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida; we knew right away this is where we belonged. Now we feel the Lord's presence in both of our church homes.

I was becoming increasingly aware of The Lord's guidance and presence everywhere in my life. Once He came to me in a very powerful dream telling me to "always have a childlike faith in God." Boy, did that simplify things for me - knowing it came directly from Him. It is a message I love passing along to others.

In spite of my spiritual growth it wasn't until I was 55 years old that I began reading the Bible for myself. My excuse - the Bibles (King James Versions) I had tried to read previously weren't "reader friendly" -too many words were crammed on the page, and there were many words and ideas I could not comprehend. Then one day while attending the closing minutes of an estate sale, the owner gave me a copy of the Women of Faith Bible. It was an NIV (New International Version) Bible which I had never read before. This particular edition had lots of empty space on each page and sidebars that provided explanation and inspirational thoughts. How wonderful that God provided this Bible for me in this unexpected way so that I would now start reading His Word! I had already become a reader of "Forward Day by Day," a daily devotional publication. Now I started going to MY Bible to read the passages that accompanied each reading. That led me into reading more... and daily. What an "eye opener" and comfort this is! Many passages seem to be written with me personally in mind. For instance, in Psalm 25:7 the writer asked the Lord, "Remember not the sins of my youth, and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me." As an adult, I knew full well what the writer many centuries ago was asking, since it was something I, too, had been asking the Lord. It is also very fascinating to find that passages I have read many times can take on new meaning as my life changes.

By the way...I have heard that same still, quiet voice I first heard in college many times since then and I now, without a doubt, recognize its source. Each time, I take a step closer in my walk with God.

As I face life's challenges and temptations, God - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the lamp unto my feet and the light for my path! For this, I am so very thankful!

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