Way to Hope

I sat in the balcony of First Baptist CenterPoint. My dad, Jim, to my right, a soundboard lit up with sliders, buttons, and controls before him. I was fidgeting and eagerly awaiting the final “let us pray” so I could resume elevator races and other shenanigans with my bevy of friends.

 

The rise in the guest preacher’s voice caused my head to jerk up. This man was serious about something. While I don’t remember his exact words, I do remember their firm message. I was a sinner. And because of my sin, I deserved to die. With a finger thrust into the air, he declared that sin had to be redeemed through death. Then with a smile, he said that Jesus came almost 2,000 years ago and died for me. It was the best free gift ever given - but I had to reach out and take it. Then, when I died, I would spend eternity with Jesus. I remember thinking the ending of eternity with Jesus sounded like what I wanted.

 

The closing “let us pray” didn’t garner the excited run to meet up with my friends, as normal. Instead, I thoughtfully made my way to our van and then inside our two-story brick home. Later in the afternoon, I found my dad downstairs gathering the trash (in the bathroom, of all places!). He sat down on the (closed) toilet and pulled me onto his lap as I told him I had questions about today’s sermon. “What ya thinking about, Boo?” he asked, using my pet name.

 

Dad and I then commenced a conversation about salvation and sanctification. We walked through how to become a Christian and then what it meant to be a follower of Christ. He asked if I was a sinner. And if I believed that Jesus had died for me. He asked me if I wanted Jesus to be the driver of my life… and then we talked about what it would mean to give up control of my life to Jesus.

 

In the end, I told Dad I was ready to be a Christian. I prayed and told Jesus I was a sinner. I thanked Him for dying on the cross for me. And I asked Him to be the driver of my life.

 

And so began a journey with the Lord unlike any other! My six-year-old mind couldn’t comprehend all that was in store. I was clueless to what true surrender looked like. The journey of the last thirty-five years has been filled with mountain peaks and deep valleys. But I can confidently say my Jesus has walked with me each step of the way. Rarely removing the hard, but easing the struggle – through my stubborn faith that His Word is true and He never lies.

 

The beauty of that moment is that the Gospel was simple enough for a little girl to understand, and yet strong enough to carry her through adulthood and all that lay before her.  I later came to understand that what I was searching for that day were the answers to two vital questions.

 

First, did I know for certain that if I died that night, I would go to heaven?

 

Second, if I did die that night and stood before God, and He asked me, “Why should I let you into My heaven, Sarah-Marie?” how would I answer Him?

 

The crux of my life on earth - and my eternity - rested on the answers to these two questions. When Dad and I walked out of the bathroom that spring day of 1991, I knew the answers to both with childlike confidence.

 

Do you?