|
There was a time in my life when I hesitated giving my testimony because I thought it was so uneventful. You see, I had "grown up in the church" from age 4. I was at Sunday School, church, GA's, choir, VBS, and youth group week after week--year after year. I had heard many very dramatic testimonies throughout my life--how God had saved people from murder, drugs, and addictions and crime of every kind. I had never strayed from God as these people had. As I have grown older and experienced more of life, I've come to the conclusion that my testimony is a unique and dramatic one. Fewer and fewer children are "growing up in the church" these days. When I was four years old my family moved to Owensboro and moved 1/2 mile from my "home" church (Macedonia Baptist Church). I was saved, baptized, married and will probably have my funeral in this church. When I was 10 years old, it was the most natural thing in the world for me to open my heart and invite Jesus to come right in. My church was a very nurturing one so it was also natural to grow as a Christian with the wonderful pastor, teachers, and Christians in my church. It helped tremendously that my whole family was involved in church. The second major spiritual experience for me came late in my teenage years as I was searching for what God wanted me to do with the rest of my life. At a week-end Youth revival I felt God's definite leading to renew my commitment to Him. The youth team emphasized giving 100% of your life--holding back nothing--not even 1%. I had been struggling for some time even as young as I was, with feelings of love for a young man that I had grown up with. He lived across the street and our parents were best friends. I suppose we should have had a brother/sister relationship but I didn't feel that way. I'm sure he had NO feelings of love for me. He was away in college and had his own life, friends, and girlfriends. With the realization that God wanted 100% of my life, I knew that maybe my secret feelings for this young man had been the 1% that I had been keeping to myself--holding back from God. On the Sunday night concluding that revival, kneeling down beside my bed, I gave my feelings for that young man and my possible future with him to God. It was truly a burden lifted from my young heart. This aspect of my life was now in God's hands (of course it had been all along). God is faithful! Within a few months, my young man suddenly began to recognize me. He came home from college more often on week-ends to see me. We began dating, fell in love, got engaged, and married a year later. God is so faithful! My husband was preparing for ministry and God had been preparing me all my life to be a pastors wife. We have served the Lord together now for almost 34 years. My husband has been my pastor for 30 years and is now your pastor at Riverside Baptist Church. You're right! The young man I waited for all those years was Dale Rouse. (Judy Rouse)
|
|