Memorial Day–A Day to Remember My Testimony!

Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day and it was a sunny, gorgeous, and patriotic time. Attending a parade, cheering for service men and women, and celebrating with a cook-out and family time made our day joyful and meaningful.

Memorial means “remembrance,” and just as we remember those who served and are serving our country, I was remembering how I came to faith in Jesus as my personal Savior. I would like to share my story with you.

My first remembrance of beginning my journey to belief in God was when I was probably only four or five years old. My family and I attended a Christian church, and in my Sunday school class one morning the teacher shared that Jesus loves me, died for my sins, and wants to come into my heart if I would like to invite Him. What stuck with me was that I could have God with me, inside me, and now I realize that is the Holy Spirit. Being young but desiring for God to come into my life, I raised my hand when our teacher asked if any of us wanted to receive Jesus that morning. I literally remember feeling different and excited afterwards; even as a child I knew I had just made a wonderful, extraordinary decision! 

As I grew I continued to attend church services with my family, and in high school I was very involved in my youth group. My faith really started to become deeply personal and authentic, not just something I followed because of my upbringing in it. 

When I was an early teen I decided to read The Bible in its entirety in a year. I was transformed by the words of Jesus more than anything, when His kindness always trumped the sin of those around Him. I started sharing my faith very boldly with teachers, fellow students, friends, and family members. This spurred me to read The Bible again the following year. By the end of high school I was defending my faith confidently when confronted with opposing viewpoints, and filled with compassion for those who were lost without Christ.

College was a time for continued growth as a believer. I am thankful for the opportunity to have attended a Christian college my first year in which I was able to study and learn more about the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testament, in greater detail. My faith in God over the years has combated its share of trials, doubts, and times of temptation, but it has never been overthrown or lost. Christ, my firm foundation, has been faithful to remind me that He always was, always is, and always will be the only God.

One example of God’s power moving in my life and heart happened when I was an undergraduate studying at the State University of New York at Buffalo(UB here)! I had just attended an 8:00am class. Afterwards, I had the habit of reading The Bible and praying. On one particular morning God spoke to me, not audibly, but in my spirit. It was as clear as could be and He told me to go out and speak because someone needed to hear from Him. The immediate excitement was quickly overcome with fear; who needed to hear from God and how would I find this person? 

All I can say is that God guided my steps. I exited the library I was in and made my way down a staircase and began walking a long hallway filled with busy students getting ready to attend various classes. As I approached one girl, God gave me an understanding that she was the one I was supposed to share with. I started to speak but she didn’t understand me very well, and I realized that she was fluent in Spanish more than English! At that time I had already traveled to Mexico and was able to switch over to Spanish. I remember my first question was if she had seen the movie The Passion of the Christ which at that time had just come out in theaters. She said YES and that she and her mom were just talking about that and wanted to know how they could follow Jesus and invite Him into their lives! I did not expect this! A Spanish-speaker, a girl who literally was there waiting for me to give her the gospel(good news)! Oh, but God knew and He used me to be His instrument, His voice, to someone who needed to hear from Him that day, in that moment. In the process He humbled me and inspired my faith, giving me increased boldness for future opportunities to share His name with strangers.

BE BOLD, BE STRONG, for GOD IS WITH YOU (Deuteronomy 31:6). Just as we celebrate MEMORIAL DAY be sure to REMEMBER the work of the LORD in your life. Feel free to share below what God has done to remind You that He is a living and active God! God bless you all today, and may you be TREES OF HOPE for Our King,that the world may behold!