Salvation… the word sets the heart of every child of God ringing. In this word is contained the hope of all Christianity and the faith of every believer. It is the source of joy and the source of thankfulness. It is the promise of eternity. It means so much to each of us because of what our Savior has done for us individually. And I’d like to take the opportunity at hand and share with you what God has done for me in my life.

In my own walk with God, the moment of my salvation is not a stunning story. Sometimes this leaves us thinking that maybe our experience is not the same as those who have experienced something more. But where does the real meaning of our salvation come from? The Lord brings each of us to repentance and salvation in many different ways. And even more different is the walk of every Christian. But the goal, the purpose, and the promise for every Christian are the same – Eternal life. This is the question that presses close to every heart. Where is my eternity going to be spent? And we thank God for showing us the way, and giving us the promise of eternal life. The moment of salvation may be a different story for each of us, but eternity is the same.

At 12 I was already showing major streaks of rebellion, I was not happy nor was I in any way at peace with myself or God. I was upset at everybody in general and nobody in particular. I lived in a family of unfair, demented, angry individuals – or so I thought. Life was mean to me or rather I was mean to life. In my heart, deep down, I knew that I wanted something better. I had accepted Christ as my Savior a couple years before, but that seemed to me not to be working at all. I told God that I didn’t want him in my life, and that I wanted to have my own way. I didn’t care about God, and I didn’t care about anybody really. And that was me.

Some of you may not know what a miserable life it is to incessantly argue and resist everything you are told. But that is exactly what I was doing, and I was feeling pretty wretched about it too. And the more miserable I felt, the more miserable I was. I was securely but ignorantly caught in the powerful trap of rebellion Satan had set for me. I thought I was right and everybody else had lost their minds, I was never the problem. I was always being good and everybody else around me was the ones who were miserable. As you might have guessed, my parents were extremely concerned about me, and were doing their best to show me my error. They must have feared what I was going to be like when I was really a teenager.

If any of you have experienced it, life is not easy for the person who makes life hard for himself. I was no exception. Life did not seem fair to me, and God was by no means letting me go easily. My frustration mounted.

Looking back now, I see how much God was watching over me and caring for me. My parents were praying for me and God was hearing their prayers. I could have responded in more rebellion as God continually strove with me, and that’s what I did – for a while.

But I wasn’t happy. Sometimes I thought of my dedication to Christ, but I still wanted to be my own. I didn’t want God to make any plans for me. I didn’t want him to direct my life. But… and then there was always the ‘but’. I wanted to be happy; I wanted to get out of this hole my life was in. I was desperate for a solution. And at that time, God brought a book into my life. I will always be thankful for David Burkholder who took the time to share with his book Young Man Be Strong. I read it, and I saw in it a life which I wanted. I saw that there was a way to conquer myself. Finally on my 13th birthday I sat down and basically took a look at myself. It was the dividing point in my life. Which way would I go? I stood at a crossroads. One half of me wanted to be a rebel. The other half wanted something better. I chose the better.

This meant a major decision on my part. My biggest struggle was with arguing. In effect I decided to shut up. I was not going to let my tongue get the best of my life. And I told the Lord that I wasn't going to talk back, I asked Him for help to stand against temptation, and to be strong. Now I tell you, for me that was a difference, and you have no idea how tough that was for me. Talking comes naturally for me. And not to talk is the biggest struggle of my life.

I don’t have the time or space to tell you all what happened between then and now. God was merciful and gave me the strength to stand temptation. I found new fulfillment in His word, I found that life with God was actually fun. I began to enjoy things; I began to feel that I actually was living. And people began to notice a difference in my life.

And that was the decision. As I stand where I am now, and look back at the last few years, I realize how much God has watched over me. I turn and look ahead and see how much I still have to learn. And then I look beside me… and I know that He is walking there. And this is where the Joy of the Christian life comes to – the walking.

The learning, the leaning, the asking, and the faith – this is our walk with God. And walking with God is an experience. In my mind, it is more of an experience than the moment of salvation. We look ahead and we know that we do not know. We look ahead and we know that God knows. In the now, we walk. We may stumble, we may fail. But He is faithful and ready and willing to forgive. There is so much to learn. And I am thankful that the Lord has given me kind, concerned, and loving parents to direct me onwards and upwards. I thank God for not letting me go, for not letting me forget Him. I thank God for his promise of eternal life.

I look ahead and know that there is great excitement in store for me. I know that God has a plan for my life and that he will use me for His purpose. With a tremor of anticipation and a thrill of confidence I know that I can trust my life – every aspect of my life – present, past, and future into God’s hands. I know that they are in a safe place. And right now, I can have joy!