September 01
I think everybody has a Susan Hendrickson in their life....
I was recently remembering back to a very crucial time in my life. That time was the summer after 6th grade. My family and I were living in Gaithersburg Maryland. I was happy & had a great best friend, Susan Hendrickson. We had so much in common. I loved living in Maryland. More than for the beautiful seasonal changes. I loved living there because I got to start over. Most of y'all know about the night in 3rd grade that changed my life & threw me into bondage of fear until I reached 30. Part of starting over for me was being somebody I wanted to be! I thought I could create a new me. I wanted a new me, because I was unhappy with who I was. This led to a series of lies. I began making up things, lying about this or that. Hey, it was easy. Nobody knew me or my family. Not to mention people really liked what I had to say. Of course they did - I was creating what they wanted to hear!!!!
I dig back into my past to make this story a testimony for my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. You see, the Lord used my very best friend (Susan Hendrickson) to be a light into my world. I use her full name because in grade school don't we always say something like Susan Hendrickson, Sally Smith, or Davie Jacobs? We have to use the full name, right? Anyway, she did not come to me in the name of "Christianity", but she did come to me in truth. We were walking back from the community pool. She was listening to what I was saying, when suddenly she stopped me. Susan said, "Amy, you are a COMPULSIVE LIAR!" I stood there in shock, disbelief - I mean, I was called out! She stormed off mad, I ran away in tears. It was a period of time before our friendship recovered. Oh, the pain. But Oh, praise God! Really, to think that I could go my whole life thinking I was fooling God, myself & everybody else. As much as it hurt, I am forever greatful for this gift of truth. In those moments we have a decision to make. Are we going to Repent, truly turn around and go the opposite direction. The right direction. Or are we going to stay in that place of sin?
This is what came to mind as I read 1 John. Let me qoute this paragraph from the book of 1 John.
1 John 2:36
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one whosays, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner He walked.
Take a stand for truth! You never know the eternal difference you could have!
