Growing up, I belonged to a certain religious group. I assumed this automatically made me a Christian. But when I was 19 years old, someone told me that I needed to know Christ in a personal way. That intrigued me. I believed that Jesus died for the sins of the entire world, but that sort of generalization had served me well. It put space between my personal offenses and a holy God. My faith in Christ had never been realized in the light of His truth. I began to attend a local church and became more aware of the fact that it was my sins as well as the sins of the world for which Jesus suffered. He died for me personally, and that meant I needed to make a choice to repent of my sin and accept Jesus’ death and resurrection for myself. He took MY place on that cross! So, between He and I, while on my knees one day, I told Jesus that I was sorry that I had sinned against Him. I told Him that if what I had been hearing was true, I wanted it. Yes, my prayer was a simple one, but Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us not to lean on our own understanding. I was being drawn by the Holy Spirit, and it wasn’t the words I spoke but the attitude of my heart that God honored when He answered that prayer. At that moment I was “born again”, as Jesus puts it in John 3:3. That was over thirty years ago.
As any true follower of Jesus Christ can testify, being a Christian doesn’t mean we are exempt from the every day stresses of living in a fallen world (full of sin). We are, however, promised a lifetime of God’s presence and guidance, as well as His strength to weather any storm. We are told that “all things work together for good” Rom 8;28. After all this time, I can testify to this truth; God keeps His promises. He has a sovereign plan for all of His children, which He will work for His glory and our good if we go towards Him instead of away from Him during a difficult time. One such trial in my own life put God’s promise to the test when, in 1992, my precious son Jesse died at age eleven. Although devestated, I found God faithful to give me everything I needed. He didn’t answer all my questions, but He gave me more of Himself. As Joni Earickson Tada once said, “What could be better than that?” After a time of extreme grief that I cannot describe in words, God helped me see that although I would not have all the answers in this life, I could entrust myself to the One who did.
Because Jesse had lived with multiple disabilities, my family and I thought we might be able to help other families who were living with disabilities by volunteering at a JAF Family Retreat. That was in 2000. We have been involved with the ministry ever since, volunteering at one or more camps a year. What a blessing to be able to help others we could have easily identified with when our son was with us. And how blessed we come away each time we open ourselves up to the many wonderful families who have touched our lives over the years! Let me explain.
A few years ago, while volunteering at one of the retreats, I met Iris Smith. As we warmed ourselves around the campfire one evening, Iris and I began to share our stories. It started out serious, even a little sad, but before long we found ourselves laughing uncontrolably! What great medicine! Obviously, Iris and I shared something just as important as our life stories that night – our sense of humor. We understand each other. Even today, Iris and I can talk about somethng serious, pray with each other, leave it with the Lord, and in the process of sharing, manage to trigger that sense of humor we love to inspire in each other. What a gift she is to me.
During the time we spent together at the retreat, Iris told me about the publication, In His Steps. It sounded wonderful. I told her about my own desire to write about my Jesse one day. Iris asked me if I would consider writing for In His Steps, and I agreed. That was a few years ago, and it has been a tremendous privelege for me each time I sit at the computer and pray for God to give me a “Word From Virginia.” It is my prayer that lives will be blessed and hearts encouraged as God uses those of us who contribute to INS. It has been my blessing to have been a part of what God is doing through it.
