On Mother’s Day, 1976, I gave my heart to Jesus and was baptized. Little did I know what an incredible, challenging, beautiful, and sometimes unexpected journey I was beginning.
My walk with Jesus wasn’t always consistent during those early years. But when I turned 18, something changed. I made a decision to go ALL IN. I truly surrendered my life to Jesus, and I haven’t wanted to walk this journey without Him since.
As I look back over these 50 years, I can honestly say my journey hasn’t been perfect. I’ve stumbled. I’ve questioned. I’ve had seasons when life didn’t make sense. I’ve walked through valleys I never expected to experience, faced battles I never imagined fighting, and experienced moments when I didn’t understand what Jesus was doing.
But through it all, I’ve continued to keep my eyes on Him.
I’ve learned that following Jesus doesn’t mean you will always understand the journey. It doesn’t mean life will always be easy, prayers will always be answered the way you hoped, or that you won’t experience heartache, disappointment, and suffering.
It means choosing to trust Him even when you don’t understand Him.
Fifty years later, I’m still learning, still growing, still surrendering, still believing, and still holding on to His promises.
So, wherever you are in your walk with Jesus today, I want to encourage you with something I’ve learned over these five decades:
DON’T GIVE UP.
When life doesn’t make sense, keep believing.
When the answers don’t come, keep trusting.
When the road gets difficult, keep walking.
When you stumble, get back up.
When you cannot see what Jesus is doing, remember who Jesus is.
And when everything around you tells you to let go, hold even tighter to His promises.
You don’t have to have a perfect walk to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus. You just have to keep coming back to Him, keep surrendering, and keep your eyes fixed on Him.
As I continue this journey, my prayer is that my life will always point people toward Jesus. Not toward me, not toward my accomplishments, but toward the One who has carried me through every season.
Fifty years ago, I said YES to Jesus. Today, my answer is still YES!
I’m not finished walking. I’m not finished believing. I’m not finished trusting.
And as long as Jesus gives me breath, I’ll keep following Him.
STAY THE COURSE. KEEP THE FAITH. KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS.
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” — Hebrews 12:1-2
To God be ALL the glory! ~OC
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