Question #1

Question #1 from Bender:
"The first question I'd like to pose concerns your 'My Story' post. You say, 'I accepted Christ when I was 3 years old,' which seems like a very odd claim to me. What exactly do you mean? How exactly is a 3 year old supposed to actively participate in something as heavy as religion? I mean, I was a pretty smart kid, but I was terrified of GRASS at that age. (Or so I'm told; I don't actually remember anything from that period.)"


Great question, Bender.  Honestly, that's when I realized that Jesus was God's Son and that He loved me, and that I wanted to go to Heaven when I died.  I had no real concept of sin or any clue why I needed a Savior, it was just the next step for me since I grew up with Christian parents, church, and a Christian school.  There are some Christian scholars who would argue that I wasn't 'saved', or whatever, but I knew that I was going to Heaven when I died.  I knew that sin was bad and obedience was good, so I did my best to honor my parents and do what God said.  Jesus Himself didn't discount the children, but rather said "let them come".  He also said that faith like a child is required to enter His kingdom because children believe whole-heartedly.


As I grew, even though I became more aware of my sin, I got into a legalistic mind set.  "Well, I'm not as bad as that person, so I'm okay."  I was a darn good guy!  I was well-liked, etc.  I did my parents proud.  And, I assumed God loved me because I did all those things.  But after my failure in 2008 I realized just how corrupt I really was.  Sin became a reality.  My sin still wasn't "that bad", but it was bad enough to wreck my livelihood at the time.  God was basically telling me "Hey, you're Mine, time to grow up!  I love you, so let's start building!"  And I clung to Him.  It wasn't until after those 2 camps in 2009 that I actually felt saved.  Everything clicked for me.  Sin, the need for a Savior, everything.  I started following Him and only Him.  I stopped trying to make my life better on my own.  Jesus said "He who finds his life will lose it, but he who loses His life for my sake will find it."  (see "Cost" post).


So, to sum up, whether I was technically 'in' or not at age 3 (I believe I was) I was fighting for His Kingdom since age 3.  I had some wayward times, but He was ever faithful to keep me out of too much trouble.  It is hard for a 3-yr old to participate in 'religion', but Christianity is a personal relationship w/ Jesus Christ, and He wants us just how we are.  He meets us where we are and grows us from there.  It is quite amazing.


For the Kingdom,
Stuart