I was born and brought up in the state of Maine, in the northeastern part of the United States, to a family of very devout French-Canadian Catholics. Although we were moral people and extremely involved in all the many activities of our religion, we were nevertheless selfish and contentious, qualities which religious duty did not change. Also, I did not know that it was possible to have a personal friendship with God, that He was loving, and that He was wishing to answer the questions I was asking. Even as a young child, I was a deep thinker along philosophical lines, and was given to wondering, "Where did I come from?", "Where am I going?" and, especially, "Why am I here?". Up until this time, my concept of God was that of a stern, angry authority figure who was always displeased with His creation and who would be quick to punish the slightest misdeed. So, needless to say, I tried to tread as softly and inconspicuously as I could around Him!

Another question that haunted me even in my early teen years was, "Is this all there is to life?” I wondered if there was a cause worthy enough to live for and, if necessary, even die for -- one great enough to justify my existence. I wanted my life to count for something, and was bothered by the fact that most people I knew lived very shallow lives, not having answers or resources within themselves to deal with unexpected tragedies which crossed their paths. If they were sincere, very many would admit to being restless, unhappy and unfulfilled.

Young people were expected to do well in school, go on to college, be successful in their careers, marry and have children, buy a beautiful home, be prominent in the community, etc. However, after a lifetime of feverishly pursuing these goals in the “rat race” -- hopefully without encountering too many setbacks and disappointments -- it seemed to me that all a person had to look forward to was growing old and sickly and dying, and then what? Even under the best of circumstances, the thought of facing a shallow, self-consumed life left me feeling empty and dissatisfied, and the prospect of spending a part of my after-life in Purgatory paying for past sins filled me with fear and dread. Yet, not many of the people hurrying around me seemed to be asking themselves, "For what purpose do we do all this, and what will happen to us after we die??"

Another compelling yearning in my life was to know that I was loved and approved of, since this type of affirmation had been missing in certain directions, and had left deep, painful wounds of rejection and insecurity. In addition, during my Junior High years, my parents separated due to marital strife. These family troubles only served to aggravate prior feelings of depression and despondency.

In the spring of 1973, when I was 15 years old, some of my mother’s friends invited her and my sister and I to a Catholic Charismatic prayer meeting. When born-again believers at these prayer meetings introduced Jesus Christ as a God who loved me unconditionally and wanted to become intimately acquainted with me as a daily friend, I could not resist!!! When I learned that God had a wonderful and exciting plan for my life and that He would never leave me nor forsake me, I was overjoyed. Also, the love of prayer meeting members for each other, their simple happiness and their peaceful faces captivated me, and assured my repeated attendance each week at these meetings. Finally, by the end of the summer I was able to understand enough of what I had been hearing, and gladly asked God to take control of my life. And so, on August 15, 1973, I became born-again and Spirit-filled.

Warm waves of God's love repeatedly washed over me as I asked Jesus into my heart, and I felt an acceptance, joy and peace I had never known before. I lived in blissful ecstasy -- walking in the clouds, so to speak -- and could not get enough of the Bible. The Lord Jesus came to live inside me, and I could commune with Him as my best friend any time I wanted to. He desired to talk to me, and I enjoyed listening and talking to Him, also. I discovered that Jesus is a gentle and tender Lover who woos us all the time. Lastly, I felt Him leading and guiding me in decisions, and doing miracles on my behalf because He takes pleasure in giving good gifts to those He loves.

I can still say 30 years later that being introduced to Jesus Christ was everything I had been looking for to bring value and purpose, love and comfort, here on earth. Best of all, as I came to know God better by reading His book, the Bible, I learned that Christ's death on the cross had already paid for my sins and rescued me from Hell in the next life. (I also discovered that Purgatory was not in the Bible at all, but that this concept was merely a part of Roman Catholic tradition.) I read that I did not have to earn my way into Heaven by trying (and failing!) to be good, by suffering and doing penances, by going to church, or by trying to keep the 10 Commandments. Because I had asked God to forgive my sins, had accepted Christ's payment for them, and had turned away from "doing my own thing" to follow Jesus as my Master, I would live forever with God in eternal bliss as soon as I died. So, no matter how rough things get here, I know that in the next life, at least, I will live happily ever after!

As the old Baltimore Catholic catechism so beautifully states, "God made me to know Him, love Him and serve Him in this life in order to be happy with Him forever in Heaven." How true! Although there IS opposition that will be encountered in the Christian walk, and life will always have disappointments and hardships, to know Jesus Christ is EVERYTHING and worth pursuing at any cost.

In the Bible's book of John, chapter 1 and verse 12, through the writer's pen, God's Holy Spirit has said this; "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." This wonderful Friend waits to comfort and rescue you, also....

Now I would like to relate another tale with a happy ending, a "Cinderella" storybook romance of how I met and married my husband.
(Please click on the pink heart below)

[It is possible to print this article from here, but please be patient! A quicker method is to "cut and paste" the text to a word processing program.]

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Radio Message #16-T
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