The book of John alone uses the word "believe" 43 times to describe faith as the only way of salvation. One of the easiest ways to let Jesus into our hearts is through a way he referenced most often - to believe. In John 6 Jesus was asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" He answered in verse 29, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
A true belief in him represents a childlike trust - "I rely fully on Jesus, based on what he did for me on the cross, to save me from my sins." So who do you believe Jesus is? Does the way we live our life now reflect this belief we say we have?
Obviously, this is easier said than done. We're human and perfectly imperfect. We get lost and continually search for things to fill these voids inside us. But the longer you search the more you come to realize you can't fill that void with empty things. You can't find true joy in worldly pleasures. Sometimes it takes the bottom of the barrel to realize this and that's okay. It's when he calls to us most because he is always ready to meet you where you're at.
From the beginning, God has loved you. He created you to be loved by him. We were made for this relationship with him. He knows you inside and out - all of your wishes and weaknesses. There is no one that knows your heart and mind better.
However, this relationship was broken. Adam and Eve had the relationship we were always intended to have with God - but their want to be like him clouded their mind and the temptations resulted in the severing of this relationship. Their betrayal is the stain of original sin that separates us from God.
We alone can not remove the inherited stain of original sin.
There is a lyric by The Oh Hello's that goes "And heaven knows how hard I tried but the devil whispered lies I believed".
When I first began my reversion, I was completely of the world. God barely held a place in my priority list and I was beginning to lose myself the more I tried to live my life this way. The longer it went on, I discovered no matter how hard I tried I couldn't find myself. My relationships depleted as I became more withdrawn and finally when I lost my boyfriend I was left with no other relationships aside from family.
I had such awful anxiety I couldn't physically eat or sleep for two weeks. Crippled with loneliness I turned to the only place I could find distraction and company - Mass. It started as an attempt to not be alone, but the first few times I went I was overcome with a peace and comfort I could not find anywhere else. And that's when I first knew that I was home.
It didn't matter if I hadn't been every Sunday. If I had been in a month or even a year. If I was wounded or abused. Disrespected. Dirty. I physically felt the peace of being where I belong and the only thing I could do was cling to it.
Our relationship with him was restored by his only son - Jesus. He is and was the solution to brokenness. He carried the weight of all our sins and suffered on the cross so that our relationship could be restored. He healed me through the brokenness and with his relationship I finally began to become the person I always wanted to be.
John 3:16 says that when we draw near to God and let him heal us we will have eternal life. We can find this gift and accept it by living out a life of faith. But Jesus doesn't force us to accept Him. Our relationship can be restored, but we must make the decision ourselves.
So, now you're at the crossroads. You decide. Would could happen if you just gave Jesus one yes?
