“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!”
I John 3:1
Today is part 1 of our series describing a woman’s spiritual journey from an African American perspective. Later this week, another lady will share her perspective.
I remember as a young girl living in Kansas looking forward to waking up on Sunday mornings getting ready for church. I was full of excitement as I eagerly watched for the church bus that would pick us up for service. After arriving at the church my first stop was Sunday school. I loved going there because that’s where I learned about Jesus.
After Sunday school it was time to go to morning worship service. I wasn’t as excited about going there, probably because I didn’t understand what they were saying as a child. All I used to think about was, I’ll be glad when this service is over! The worship service could last up to two and a half hours or more. I thought that was too long for me, after attending Sunday school for an hour which I really enjoyed. I thought it was asking too much for a child to sit through a lengthy service. Especially considering, I really didn’t understand what was being taught. Finally, after the choir had sung about six songs (every verse included) and the pastor had given a sermon for up to an hour or more. Then, each auxiliary had to give their report. I was ready to leave. Even though I was ready to go, we had finally reached the point in our service time for food and fellowship which I loved. Most Sunday’s at church there was a dinner celebrating the activity of one of the auxiliaries of the church. If there wasn’t a dinner, there was always popcorn, peanut brittle or bakery goods to purchase to help the church building fund. Oh how, I enjoyed the baked goods riding on the church bus back home.
One day when I was eleven years old, I was sitting in a morning worship service and I heard the pastor say that God loved me. The pastor told us we could know Him through His Son Jesus. I had heard this message before in Sunday school. However, It was something about the message this day that really caused me to focus my attention on what he said. After hearing that God loved me and wanted me to be a part of His family, I said a prayer and invited Jesus into my life. In the bible, John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that He gave His One and Only Son, and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. I may not have understood what all that meant, but I did know that I wanted to be a part of God’s family.
I always wanted a Mom and Dad like my friends had. When I was asked the question of where my mom and dad were, I was never able to give a straight answer. I certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone that both my parents had a mental illness. It was because of their mental illness that my grandparents raised me and my four siblings. So, after inviting Jesus into my life and becoming part of God’s family, my family grew. My family unit now consisted of Jesus, God, my grandparents and my siblings. What a wonderful family!
Be sure and check out part two of this story tomorrow…
GTTDaily Devotional 