It was in the summer before my 8th grade year that Jesus and I started our journey together in a more "formal" way. Growing up in the church, I knew God and I knew Jesus but that summer my faith became real, more potent, to use church language that summer I asked Jesus into my heart and life changed. It wasn't a huge change, I still was who I was but something was different. There was a peace, a confidence that I had because of my relationship with God that came from the inside out. Life with God felt right...life with God still feels right.
Over the years God and I have been through many ups and downs together. There have been times when everything has been great and times when I have been mad, mad, mad. God and Jesus have been those constant voices telling me when things are right, when things are wrong and when I've gone very astray. There was a time when I told God "No"...not to God being a part of my life but for my being a part of church life. God respected that and then drew me back in when the time was right. The roads that God, Jesus and I have traveled have been interesting and varied. There are some roads that I've tried to take that never seem to go anywhere and then the roads that God and Jesus lead me on that take me to places I never dreamed of going.
If God had followed the road that I thought I would be taking, I would be married with 3 kids, teaching Kindergarten somewhere. But the road that God had me traveled has me single, with so many kids of the heart it's hard to count them all, in Youth Ministry, constantly checking this website June through October and instantly on alert anytime the words "hurricane", "Katrina", "Mississippi", "NOLA" and "Pearlington" are said. And while I take no joy in the pain and heartache that Hurricane Katrina brought, I am grateful that in following the road that God had me on, I've been a part of bringing hope, joy and peace to the hearts of those that Katrina left in her wake 4 years ago.
It's not the road I would have taken, but I'm grateful to be on it.
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