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WHERE TO BEGIN..I GUESS AT THE BEGINNING.. WELL MAYBE NOT QUITE THAT FAR BACK..LOL..I WAS RAISED CATHOLIC. WENT THROUGH CATHOLIC GRADE SCHOOL.. BUT MY PARENTS REALLY DIDN'T ATTEND MASS OFTEN AND I WASN'T MADE TO GO EITHER AND IT JUST WASN'T A BIG PRIORITY IN MY HOUSE, SO I NEVER LEARNED WHAT A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST WAS UNTIL MUCH LATER IN MY STORY.
MINE WAS A TYPICAL FAMILY LIFE. DIVORCED PARENTS & THE WHOLE NINE YARDS.I DIDN'T SEE MUCH OF MY DAD AS I WAS ENTERING INTO MY TEENS & UNFORTUNATELY MY MOM HAD TO WORK 2 & 3 JOBS JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET, SO WE DIDN'T SEE MUCH OF HER EITHER, & THAT LED TO ALOT OF UNSUPERVISED TIME FOR US.(my sister & I) SO, THAT LED TO ME BEING A REAL HANDFUL FOR MY MOM IN THE LONG RUN. YOU KNOW WRONG CROWD OF FRIENDS. DRINKING, SMOKING. THE USUAL TEEN STUFF. SPENT MOST OF ONE SUMMER GROUNDED. WELL, ENOUGH OF MY TEENS..
AS SOON AS I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL I GOT MARRIED. WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS. BUT ALLLLL MY FRIENDS WERE DOING IT.. SOUND FAMILIAR?? HE ENDED UP BEING VERY ABUSIVE AND THAT ONLY LASTED 4 YRS. I WAS SMART & GOT OUT BEFORE HE DID SOME REAL DAMAGE TO ME.
THIS IS WHEN I ACTUALLY WENT WILD. I WENT FROM MOM & DAD (they were remarried by now) TO HUSBAND TO FINALLY BEING ON MY OWN, & DID I EVER PARTY DOWN. I WOULD BE OUT DRINKING & DRIVING AT LEAST 4-5 NIGHTS A WEEK, & GOING THROUGH BOYFRIENDS LIKE CRAZY. IN HINDSIGHT I NOW KNOW THAT I WAS SERCHING FOR SOMETHING. WELL, I ENDED UP LIVING WITH A BOYFRIEND FOR ALMOST 3 YRS & THE CROWD HE WAS IN GOT ME INVOLVED WITH COCAINE. IT GOT TO WHERE I WAS SPENDING ALL OF MY MONEY ON DRINKING & DRUGS BUT THANKFULLY I NEVER HAD TO HIT BOTTOM. WHEN THIS CURRENT BOYFRIEND GOT ABUSIVE WITH ME I THREW HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE & WENT ON A REAL BINGE....
BUT THANKFULLY I MET DAVE SOON AFTER. DAVE WAS ALREADY A CHRISTIAN AT THE TIME & HE QUIETLY SHOWED ME A BETTER WAY OF LIVING. HE WAS NEVER FORCEFUL OF HIS BELIEFS BUT WOULD REMIND ME IN SUBTLE LITTLE WAYS HOW IMPORTANT GOING TO CHURCH IS TO HIM AND HOW IMPORTANT HIS FAITH IS TO HIM. HE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND MARRIED ME WITHOUT MY BEING A CHRISTIAN. WHICH WAS A HUGE LEAP OF FAITH ON HIS PART. ESP SINCE I WOULD BE HELPING HIM RAISE HIS CHILDREN FROM HIS PREV MARRAIGE. BUT THE LORD MUST HAVE SPOKEN TO HIM AND HE KNEW THAT I NEEDED TO BE IN HIS LIFE....
WELL, RIGHT AFTER WE GOT MARRIED, WE STARTED GOING TO CHURCH TOGETHER. I WAS STILL DOING THE DRINKING & COCAINE THING BUT NOT AS MUCH. DAVE DIDN'T APPROVE BUT I THINK HE COULD SEE ME SLOWLY BEGINNING TO CHANGE SO HE DIDN'T PUT UP A FUSS ABOUT IT. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR OF ATTENDING CHURCH & SUNDAY SCHOOL & WEEKLY BIBLE STUDIES I WITNESSED ANOTHER CHURCH MEMBER BEING BAPTIZED & IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS. THAT IS WHAT I WANT FOR MY LIFE ALSO!!! SO A FEW NIGHTS LATER I WAS LAYING IN BED & ALL OF A SUDDEN I STARTED BAWLING MY EYES OUT & I HAD NO CLUE WHY. I GOT UP & TOLD DAVE ABOUT IT & HE SEEMED CONVINCED THAT I WAS UNDER CONVICTION. A FEW DAYS LATER I WENT TO SEE THE PASTOR & TALKED TO HIM. HE AGREED WITH DAVE THAT I WAS UNDER CONVICTION & HE TALKED ME THROUGH THE PRAYER OF FAITH & I ACCEPTED THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS MY PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOUR!!!!!! WHAT A WEIGHT WAS LIFTED OFF MY SHOULDERS THAT DAY. IT WAS OCT 29TH 1986... WHAT A DAY OF REJOICING IT WAS....
NOW I AM GOING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING AMAZING. AS SOON AS I MADE THIS DECISION. MY WANT OR NEED OR CRAVING. WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. FOR COCAINE WAS GONE. I NEVER TOUCHED THE STUFF AGAIN. I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT. NOW ALCOHOL WAS NOT REALLY A PROBLEM FOR ME. IT WAS HANGING OUT WITH MY "FRIENDS" THAT I HAD CRAVED BEFORE & THAT WAS GONE ALSO. THAT OLD LIFE WAS COMPLETELY GONE FROM ME.....
I AM NOT GOING TO SAY THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE STOOD THIS PERFECT PERSON. I AM STILL FAR FROM PERFECT BUT THE LORD HAS CERTAINLY WORKED MIRACLES IN MY LIFE. THIS NEXT PART IS A REVISION OF A PREVIOUS SECTION OF MY TESTIMONY.. I AM STILL BATTLING WITH TRYING TO QUIT SMOKING... SO THE LORD IS STILL WORKING ON ME & HE STILL HAS A LONG WAY TO GO... PLEASE JOIN WITH ME IN PRAYER THAT OUR PRECIOUS SAVIOUR WILL DELIVER ME FROM THIS DISGUSTING HABIT AND I WON'T HAVE TO BE ASHAMED OF MYSELF FOR BEING SO WEAK. |
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