In The Beginning

In The Beginning

It was like a flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder the night I realized the truth, the way, and the life that is, Jesus Christ. John 14:6

When I was a teenager, my family traveled down to Houston, Texas to visit the NASA space center. On the way, we stopped at Inner Space Cavern, a tourist attraction in Georgetown, TX just north of Austin. At a certain spot, the guide had everyone stop. The lights were shut off. The darkness was so complete you couldn’t see your hand an inch away from your face. There was a similar darkness I would find myself in years later.

Allow me to step back a bit. I was raised in a Christian home. As a child, I attended Sunday school at a small church somewhere in Connecticut where I was born. At the age of 7, the family moved to Texas. Breaching the doors of a church became a rare event. My Texas home was one with an absentee father and a loving mother doing her best to raise 3 children. Kids in the neighborhood and in school would invite me to church and church events, and occasionally I would go, but the root of my faith never grew. The downfall came the summer after graduating from high school. I choose not to take the road less traveled, but instead took a trip down a highway filled with destruction.

Drugs and alcohol. Partying all night and sleeping all day. This was my life until I crashed at the ripe old age of 24. It was a strange night in the rehab center at the hospital. They said I had a nervous breakdown. One night, I started rocking back and forth uncontrollably. I was terrified. With my eyes shut tight, my mind led me into a darkness as complete as the cave at Georgetown, but this darkness was also filled with dread and despair.

I felt as if I was standing on the edge of a precipice. One more step and I would tumble into an endless pit of darkness. I somehow understood this pit was a trap, a place where insanity dwells. A pit where some of us get stuck, not knowing how to dig ourselves out. I screamed. I don’t know if it was audible, but wherever I was it was as loud as anything I have ever heard. Out of desperation, I shouted one name. Jesus. In an instant, my eyes popped open. On one side of me was a doctor, and on the other side, a young mute boy who shied away from people. He didn't like anyone touching him. He was holding my hand and I will never forget his expression. Without saying a word, he let me know everything would be alright. His expression proved to be right. The doctor gave me a shot. The staff told me I slept for 15 hours. I still felt depressed but was clear headed about what I needed to do. I stopped doing drugs. For the next 6 months I was in therapy. I went back to school and received my degree at the age of 29.  At the age of 31, I was baptized and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Yes, it was a slow process for me. I tend to take the long road. Since then, my life has never been the same. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15.

My prayer for you is to let the lightning strike and the thunder roar. No matter how dark the darkness seems to be, there is always hope. As long as you have breath in your lungs, you have the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. My prayer is you will consider doing just this and letting your life be transformed.

God bless you.