I remember when I was a teen that I just couldn’t wait to grow up, to be on my own and to make my own decisions. Do you all recall that time? Or maybe that’s where you are now. We want what we do not have, and I have found through the wisdom of years, it is also frequently what we do not need. What changes in our lives to make us more aware of what our needs and wants are and the difference between the two?

I did not discover a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ until I was twenty-one. I was already free from the “shackles” of my parents, those restrictions that I had tried to escape for so many years. Now that I was on my own, I often found myself wishing that I didn’t have the concerns and responsibilities of an adult. In other words, I wished to be a teen again. Then I met the Lord, and He has constantly shown me that where I am is just where I am meant to be. If He didn’t put me into the situation, then He will use it for my good and will help me to make my way through it. The truth is that the only thing worth living and working toward is salvation, helping others to know the Lord and His free gift that will guarantee them eternal life. Freedom does not mean living in your own house and paying your own bills, buying your own car and choosing your own meals. It means being free to serve and worship the Lord who created you.

It is difficult for me to imagine that there are people in the world who are not free to worship. But I get the emails; I watch and hear the news of persecution throughout the world. Nevertheless, God says that His Word will be preached to all. All people everywhere will have the opportunity to hear and accept the Gospel. They will also be able to know the Truth and to be set free.

My prayer for myself as well as for my readers is that I will continue to discover more of God’s truth and to share it with others who need it. I am not one to stand on a street corner and preach. That doesn’t seem to be my calling, thank goodness! I have always been shy, so it is hard for me to even talk to strangers, much less approach them and start telling them about Jesus. But I can do something and so can you. I can let someone get ahead of me in a long line, thus opening the door for a conversation about kindness and goodness and being able to tell them about the Lord and His sacrifice. I can do little things that don’t seem to be much, but I do them as the Lord leads and I have watched Him opening other doors for me to be able to speak about my relationship with the Lord. I want everyone to have the freedom in their lives that I have had since my twenties.

Yes, I was a dumb teen who wanted what I wanted when I wanted it. Then God got hold of my life and now my truth is that I want what He wants and in His timing. I hope that you have a firm grasp of that Truth and are continuing down the road of life with the firm conviction that you are on the path to Heaven. That path is not always an easy one or one that we would necessarily choose for ourselves. Sometimes, it isn’t the one that God would have chosen for us either. But due to our free will choices and those of others, we are set on a path. I am here to tell you from experience that whatever path you are on, God is there with you. He will walk it with you, all the way to the end of your journey. The rocky and dangerous paths may not have been His best choice for you; but you may find yourself there. Trust that His truth will bring you to the other side. Blessings!

He Didn’t Bring Us This Far to Leave Us by The Imperials