"One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see!" John 9:25
Hope is found in a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Every person who has this love relationship with Jesus, has a unique story of the power He has to change a life and the hope He alone can give. It is a story that only they can tell. As Jesus makes a difference in the life of a Christian, their story of hope is a living illustration that Jesus is alive and making a difference one life at a time.
I was one lost sheep and at a point in my life, at 44 years of age, in which I found myself in a constant state of anxiety, suffering anxiety attacks on a regular basis. I was in deep financial debt, was diagnosed with mild depression, and basically I had lost my focus on living. Though I had a good job, it felt like I was walking around without a purpose in life. My inner spirit was dead and I had lost all hope. I was in a 12-year relationship with a wonderful woman whom I loved very much and was hoping one day we would get married. Getting remarried was a priority in my life and my hearts desire. I knew deep down in my heart that marriage was most probably not on her agenda. This, too, played a role in my anxiety.
I was raised in a Christian home, but as many teenagers do I went through a rebellious time where I got involved with drugs, drinking, and the wrong friends. I ended up pregnant by a man I had only known a month, and we were married when I was only 16. I knew even then, that I didn't like living without Christ. It was just too hard. The contrast I observed in others who were believers was a strong lure.
I left the church when I was 27. I partied, did my share of drugs, and drank. I got divorced. I was a mess and working in a job I didn't like, with no hope for the future. I had once even considered jumping off a highway bridge into oncoming traffic.
A neighbor rescued me about 43 years ago when I was about 22 years old. I had only been married for 2 years and was working on my master's degree. I was always busy studying. My neighbor had a habit of coming over to my mobile home to chat. This one particular day she came over with her cup of coffee and her two little girls. I was irritated, since I was trying to study for an exam and was in no mood to visit.
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17 , King James Version
Before Christ
To "step into my world" means my sharing with you my life story and testimony of the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ in my life. I was born in New York City, but grew up mostly in the Washington, DC area. At the age of three, I started playing the piano. When I was eight and a student at a school for the blind, I began formal lessons, having driven my family crazy for the previous five years with my noise and banging. Music had been a significant part of my home life in those formative years, as we spent so much time listening to the radio or records. At school, I was active in chorus and much later, helped found a jazz combo.
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