Everyone likes the song “Amazing Grace”. I’m sure that many can relate to the words of that song. And those that really believe it have a story to tell.
I would like to tell mine at this time.
I was raised in the small shore town of Union Beach , NJ. Our family had a very difficult life as our dad was an alcoholic, being a slave to the sin of drunkenness. Our mother brought stability to our lives as she made sure we lived respectfully and attended church regularly.
We were members of Grace Methodist Church in Union Beach and I can remember enjoying being there, singing such songs as “Amazing Grace”. My first realization that I was a sinner needing the grace of our God was at Sunday School classes in that church in the 1950’s.
I was the youngest of three children and my dad and I were very close. When he died of cancer in 1958 I was a 14 year old teenager. I became very disillusioned in my faith as I had been praying to Jesus to heal my dad. Of course at 14 I truly didn’t understand the things that were happening as far as my dad was concerned and at that time I started to run from the Lord.
For the next 20 years I continued to run and avoid God. He in His grace continued to put people in my life to try to help me get back on track but I wasn’t truly aware that the Lord we serve is a forgiving and gracious God. I considered Him to be a cruel God and one that didn’t care about people but lived “away up there, and He didn’t really care”.
In the 1970’s I had a neighbor named Mike that had come to the Lord and had had moved to New Hampshire. He was telling me that God loved me and that He was more than willing to forgive. He told me that he was “claiming me for Jesus”. I thought he was crazy.
In March of 1979 I drove all the way to New Hampshire to find out about this Lord my friend had been telling me about. It was at that time that Mike shared the story of the prodigal son who once was lost and was finally found. At that time I asked the Lord to forgive me and to help me to live for Him.
I have found the Lord to be true to His promises and that He is always faithful to bring His children back to him.
If you would like to know more of God’s amazing grace I would be more than willing to share that with you also. I can be reached through my email at: lenef1@comcast.net
By His Grace,
1 Cor. 15:58