In a Nutshell - attempt #1

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham . . . 'and go to the land I will show you’ . . . Moses was born . . . the time of David . . . You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! . . . And now you have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One.” Acts 7 TNIV; spoken by the soon-to-be-martyred Stephen.

Stephen, a first century Christian believer, stood in front of the Jewish leaders (the Sanhedrin) accused of calling Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, the long-awaited-for Messiah. In his own defense, Stephen encapsulated the whole of the Old Testament ‘in a nutshell’, showing them that by accepting Jesus as the Messiah that he was embracing the prophecies of their very own people. Just as centuries of a nation's history can be reduced to several highlights, so our own decades of personal history can be reduced to the major events that influenced the directions our lives have taken. Occasionally, Christian evangelists challenge believers to practice telling their spiritual journey, or Christian testimony, in a 3-minute version as sometimes that is all the time we have to share our story about what Jesus means to us. In taking up the challenge, I present a condensed version of my story. Get your stopwatch ready!

Attempt #1: I was born to parents who may have called themselves “Christian” because of their parents’ influence and because when they did enter a religious building, it was a Christian church. I was christened when I was a baby and dropped off at Sunday school when I was 5 and 6. At age 10, my parents kindly sent me to a Christian summer camp, where they knew God and Jesus would be discussed. I absolutely loved camp; it was for two weeks and I asked to go again the next year. They consented, so again I had two weeks of Christian input along with all the fun outdoor & water activities that camps provide. The third year, at age 12, I went for one month. This was the summer that I accepted Jesus into my heart and asked him to help me follow His Way in all areas of my life. This was just before I entered secondary school.

Grades 8 to 12 were a seesaw of obeying and disobeying God. Throughout Grade 8, at my own request, I attended classes at my local Church and was “confirmed as a believer” that June. I took myself to church services and my parents drove me to youth group. I prayed, read the Bible, and attended Bible studies. However, the seesaw frequently tipped in the other direction when I partook in behaviors not approved by Jesus. Throughout these years, I continued going to summer camp where I loved being cocooned in the wonderful Christian atmosphere. The result of these seesaw years, is that my prayers were full of confessions and pleas for forgiveness!

My young adult life started with one year of university, at which point I continued the seesaw existence: partying, going to church and Bible studies, followed by more partying. After that, once out in the workforce, I rented a cabin at Whistler so that I could ski every weekend. I loved to ski and directed all my energies into skiing as often as possible. Now the seesaw lay heavily on the partying side as I stopped going to church. By the time my future husband met me, there was no real evidence of a Christian commitment.

Although I had stopped going to church, I still believed in God, so we were married in a church and had our first two children christened. I attended church services when I could. Later, after moving and an absence from Christianity, I explored new age philosophies and brought my husband and then three children to other places of worship. Mistakenly, I thought that maybe my husband would embrace one of these other beliefs with me and then we would at least have the same faith. This petered out though, as our fourth child and another move made going to Sunday services and weekday classes inconvenient.

Over the next three years, though, God had a plan to draw me back to Him. He placed different people in our lives and, incredibly, my husband became a Christian and I recommitted my life to God. We joined our local church and with the children became active members there. One of the happiest days of my life was March 1996, when we were all baptized! Finally, my searching and yearning for meaning in my life had come to fruition. Although I had taken my eyes of Jesus, He, being the Good Shepherd, kept looking for me to return. Since then, I have been 100% committed to following Jesus on whatever path He has for me. The end.

My Comments:
After saying this aloud, I admit that this is a very boring chronological summary of my life inserting the relevant facts regarding God in my life. So I ask myself: What did I say that would lead another into becoming a Christian? Did I share my reasons for becoming a Christian? What difference does it make in my life to have Jesus in my heart? This 'nutshell' does nothing to answer these questions. Therefore, I will try again! Please read: In a Nutshell - attempt #2.