Say hello to my best friend
Submitted by Cherub30 on November 26 1999 at 18:14:16
|
As I was reading last night, a quote from God's Word popped into my mind and I thought I'd share it with you. "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me you might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) So many things confront us each and every day that require us to make judgement calls. Will we drink one too many beers? Will we bow to pressure from "friends" and snort a line of coke? Will we fall to sexual sin? Will we curse the name of God instead of praising it? Will we guard our hearts and souls with all that is pure and holy? I have an answer--NO. We all at one time or another do something that we regret and wish we could take back. But we alone, in my opinion, cannot find peace within our inner struggles without a special friend in our corner. For me, that special friend is Jesus. You know, the guy that went to the cross for all our sins. All our sins. I used to think that my special friend only went to the cross for those transgressions I could say out loud...the not-so-bad ones! He could never forgive me of the "big ones." Besides, I was a lost cause. There was no way in the world Jesus would ever love me. But one day, things changed. What happened? Put simply, I was at the end of my rope. I was a gay man, 27 years of age, who had never uttered the words "I love you" to anyone other than family members. I was alone. I had recently lost two sisters that meant so much to me. And I was going through the worst professional crisis of my life. All was not good. I was a broken man with nowhere to look but upward. I knew that something was missing from my life. Sure, I had attended church as a teenager. But I never truly believed or experienced the joy of God's love and grace. And I never really believed His promise of mercy and forgiveness. I prayed to God and told Him that whatever was left of my life was His. I asked Jesus to come into my heart and to forgive me of any and all sins. And that's the day Jesus became my best friend. There have been storms I have had to weather since then, but I've always had my friend at my side and in my heart. And He brought me an earthly friend, too. I truly believe that my BF, BLues, dropped from heaven. I struggle each day to live a life that is honorable to God. The struggles continue to come my way and I still fall short of total perfection...a status none of us will ever reach on this earth...but I am not alone when new problems arise. I still sometimes get angry, but God calms my temper. I still get down or depressed, but God is there to ease the hurt. And sometimes I still feel like there is no way I can handle a problem or crisis on my own. Then I remember that I do not have to handle any problem by myself. My friend, my helper, my Savior, is there to help me. I'm sorry this has dragged on and on. I had not intended for this post to be a personal testimony. But I'm satisfied that I've shared what God has laid on my heart. I know there are some of you that might feel alone. It has got to be the worst feeling in the world. But I know God has a plan for each of us. Go out today, embrace His love, and experience His grace. And above everything else, remember we can ask our best friend for help at any time of the day or night. You know His name--it's Jesus. I'll close with one of my favorite quotes from God's Word: "Let love be your greatest aim." (1 Cor 14:1) My friends, experiencing God's love has enriched my life in ways I cannot even describe here. I pray we all continue to learn how to love God the way He deserves to be loved. The power of that love is so far-reaching and life-changing! God bless and keep each of you today. Cherub30 |