Christian Short Stories

Michael writes: "I'm a recently born again Christian, age 49. Residence in Lake Forest, CA. I made a choice to follow Christ."

Having gone through what seemed like countless seasons in my life, seemingly without concern, I had found that I had only the smallest understanding of what really makes all things possible in this world. I had run out of ideas, and I had run out of places to seek an understanding of life itself. Truly was I at my last will to continue even trying to understand. These times of seeking answers were perhaps the worse, and yet at the same time, some of the greatest moments of my life. Indeed, a single moment of my realization was worth more than a lifetime of my selfish lies.

Oftentimes I had seen that when people just try to run their own lives, they also always seemed to have some sort of self-conviction about doing so. It was as if that they had thought that they alone can make all the choices, being good ones or bad ones. There seemed also to be a longing for a sense of validation that was driving this self-conviction. Sadly this need will always be found and met by those who are only in this world for what they can get from it.

This kind of worldly thinking only serves to show us the darkness that has surrounded this world for so long that it is not even noticed any longer by most people. They simply accept that darkness, and rarely stop to consider what it would be like to actually see things differently, or to let someone lead them in making all their choices. To that end, something then must have had always been forsaken by those who seek worldly gains by choice, even if it is not apparent to them. For some reason this corrupted thought process had become quite clear to me, and is the reason I began to write this story of Revelation. In essence, the Father had shown me something I needed to see. I had seen His Will for the first time!

I had finally decided that I had lived long enough in the darkness, and no longer had I wished to continue to seek the worldly gains that had come so easily to me before. There was the Light beside me all along, but it was just at the edge of the darkness and I was deathly afraid to step into it. Always it was there, but somehow it was always forsaken? How could this be? Sometimes the obvious is just too hard to see when it is right in front of us. Maybe it is just easier to look over Faith, than it is to look through it.  Take a moment to ponder this, and challenge your own self to justify how one could willingly forsake Him, who is the Light. Does that idea sadden you at all? It should, and should also bring you to tears, as it does for me. 

As I searched myself, I had come to realize the obviousness of the Truth. I had decided that it was time to let go of everything I had believed, and to let my destiny and my choices be decided by someone who is not of this world. It was then at that moment that the darkness turned into a light I had never seen before. I had made my final choice, and it was by far the best thing I had ever done in nearly half a century living in this world. I chose Faith in Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. This now meant that I had the decision making power of three, and not by just the powerless one. I myself was that one, the one who had no power whatsoever! For the first time I knew that my entire being and my entire world was to be changed forever by a single good choice. I also knew that all the bad choices I had made were going to be a thing of the past, and once forgiven would not be able to affect me any longer.

To me this seemed to be the essence of Faith: letting Him lead us in our thought processes, and trusting that the outcome will always be positive and will be in our best interests. 

In reality, the only option we have is to realize the full grace of the Truth, and to willingly accept the challenge of letting someone else make all the choices for us so that we see the Way and have the right to enjoy the Life. (This Life later becomes an eternity.) This is obviously a final choice that we all are free to make, but most would rather continue to live in the darkness that they have lived in their entire lives. It’s the Truth that finally sets us free, as we really have absolutely no power to control the destiny of our lives. With that said, is it not truly comforting to think that we have control? Sadly, that comfort gives only a false sense of security at best, yet many today live and die never knowing that things do not have to be that way.  

The Truth may be difficult for some to accept as it requires that we must surrender over to Him, anything that would not lead us to the Truth. Faith in the Truth alone then lights up the darkness with the brilliant Light that comes from the Life. Surrendering means accepting the Truth, and accepting that Jesus was forsaken for us, and that He was the Son of God.  For only He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Jesus, who was sent by the Father's grace has forgiven all of us of our sinful acts and nature.  By that, we were all forgiven, and we must in turn forgive all others, regardless of who is at fault.  He is what separates the darkness from the light in this world.  We have only to ask for this forgiveness, turn away from the sins and actually mean to have Jesus as the priority in our lives. 

Lord help those who cannot get their minds around the Truth and end up going to their deaths with their own senseless fear. This is to me today, the saddest and most lonely choice that one could make: to choose to forsake Him for a lifetime. We all have the right to do so in our own minds, but it is not right to do so. Trust, or lack of it, is what holds most back from believing the Truth in their hearts.  

I would rather die trying to know the whole Truth and not finding all of it, than to die having never tried to know any of it. What a difference a day makes, when one finds that there are no days left! Why then do so many die without knowing a single part of the Truth? It is a choice that has been made, a bad choice that is freely made with that self-conviction.  A choice that really should not be made. It comes with a cost that nobody is prepared to calculate if they are from this world. I choose to walk through the valley, with my head held high. I don't have to walk alone, and I have a most wonderful peace and love from Him to guide me. 

This is my story of how and why I have been born again, for the Life. I hope that you will soon also find the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It is never too late, unless your last day does come and go and you have not made the same choice that I have made…

Love and Blessings of God,
Michael

(© 2014 Michael Rendelman – All rights reserved. Written material may not be duplicated without permission.)