| My Walk With God ""Jesus looked at them and said With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27 |
I love that, just as He says, there are no coinincidences with God. He shows us and guides us everyday sometimes in the most subtle, gentle ways. Sometimes, they go unnoticed and sometimes misinterpreted, even if just for the moment, but God persists. His desire for that one lost sheep to be found is so strong that He continues. This is what I see, looking back at my life. God calling me over and over and me missing it ever so slightly. I began in this world as a Catholic. I believed in God and loved Him but there was always something missing. As I got older, I strayed away from "the church" and set God on the backburner. Sound familiar? When I was in my 30th year, I began to see the numbers 10 27 popping up all over the place. I would glance at a clock or a newspaper and see the numbers over and over again. I thought, "Wow! Cool, my birthdate! I have to play those lotto numbers!" Even now, it brings a little smile and a chuckle. I just envision God smiling and shaking His head and reaching for a bigger pebble to toss and get my attention. Things continued on as usual then out of the blue, just after I turned 31, I was given some really sobering news. I had testicular cancer. My world came to a grinding halt. Of course, my first thought was not that I had a deadly disease but that it would doom my weightlifting. Then a calm came over me. I constantly repeated to myself that I wasn't going to die; I just didn't have the time! I had my first surgery and the testicle was removed but I wasn't through. They still had to do a second surgery to do a lymph node removal and dissection to see if the cancer had spread. It was either that or chemo and I chose not to have chemo. The surgery was major and I was, admittedly, scared. On the eve of the surgery, I lay on my hospital bed extremely nervous and I did something that I hadn't done in a very long time, at least with true heart involved. I prayed. I didn't pray that if He brought me through this, I would be a good boy and all of that. I simply said, "God, I don't know if I am going to wake up in the morning or not. It is all in Your hands so do what you have to do, but if I die, I would really like to end up there with you...please?" Well, the surgery was successful and I began the process of healing, not realizing that I had given my life to God. I came back to God somewhat after that, but I didn't know how to get closer to Him. Over the next decade, I would read the Bible and pray the prayers I was taught, but that was about it. I remember reading the paper one Sunday morning and seeing an ad for one of those Bradford Exchange decorator plates. On the plate was a quaint little church just on the other side of a little foot bridge. On the bottom curve of the plate, in small gold letters were the words, "With God all things are possible - Mark 10:27." My heart froze and my entire body broke out in goosebumps! All those times that I thought that I just HAD to play those lotto numbers, it was God talking to me! He was talking to me before I got sick, letting me know that He was there for me! Well, this inspired me further and I read my Bible from cover to cover, I even started watching the preachers on TV. I wanted more but I still didn't know how to get closer to Him.Then, I met my wife. She was a Christian and had answers to many of my questions, one of which was, "will you marry me?" I remember talking with her and telling her how I read the Bible and was trying to be good. She had asked me if I had given my life to Jesus. I told her that of course I had! I was a Catholic! She gently explained that it wasn't the church you belonged to but the commitment in your heart. So I did and on February 14th, 2001, I was baptized. How apropos! I hadn't even thought of the significance of the date, but boy oh boy, how awesome! A day set aside for the one you love, love for my Saviour and His undying love for me! Funny thing how those scales over your eyes can keep you from seeing what you read. I began to read the Bible once more, but don't you know it? The words all have a different meaning now.  |