Prodigal Life

I spent a lot of my life being complacent. Although I accepted Jesus into my life at the age of 9, I lived as a prodigal until recently. All that time I believed, no, I KNEW, that Jesus was the Son of God and that he died on the cross to save us, and that he rose again, but I was still living my life for myself. What do I want? What will please ME? I went to church and sang in the choir and gave to the needy, but I was not growing up. I was not growing in Christ.

Recently God tapped me on the shoulder. It was almost as if He said, "Hey, wake up, pay attention!" One moment I was living in the world, and being OF the world, and behaving like the world, and suddenly, in an instant, all I wanted was Jesus. Just as suddenly I felt like I had so much catching up to do that I couldn't read fast enough, or learn fast enough, or grow fast enough. I was in a great hurry to "make up for lost time."

But the fact is, the time is gone and I'll never get it back. There's no way to go back to that little 9 year-old girl and tell her about how much joy there is to be had in living completely for Jesus. I can't turn back the clock and have another chance to tell people I met along the way about everything that God has done for me.

The good news is that I can do those things now! I have the opportunity to tell others about the joy of Jesus. I have the chance to tell them why I want to be with Him, and look Him in the eye and thank Him personally for the peace, joy, grace, and love that He brings to my life. All day, every day, from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep, we are making choices. The question is, what choices do we make? Every second we breathe is another chance to make better choices.

I've decided that I am not going to waste any more time, any more precious seconds, choosing in a way that will cause me regret. I choose Jesus. I choose His love, His grace, His peace, and His will for my life. And I absolutely cannot wait to see Him with my own eyes.