85 degrees and I was sweating

The sand was everywhere.  I was wearing jeans and sitting around a campfire.  It was 85 degrees and I was sweating.  All I wanted to do was eat my dinner and go swimming, but they wouldn’t let me.  They kept asking us questions.

One question mattered the most to my 8-year-old mind, and I don’t know why it mattered right then, but it struck home and made me think.  The question was simple, but I had to take it seriously.  It was the first time I was asked, “Have you ever asked Jesus to forgive you of your sins and be your Lord and Savior?”

A heady question for an 8-year-old, but a necessary one.  This question was a challenge to ask me if I was being a follower of Jesus, but it forced me to examine my heart and actions.  I had heard from a young age how to ask Jesus into your heart, but I could not remember clearly if I had truly done so.

That day with sand in my food, dirty hands, and feeling way to warm I made the decision to pursue Christ in all things.  I asked Him to forgive me of my sins, to help me be a good follower, and become my Boss, Lord, and Savior.  For some reason at 8-years-old I knew I wasn’t going to get to heaven by my own strength and needed Jesus to pay the price of my sin.

Romans 10:9-10 stands out to me:

9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

With all the struggles of trying to figure out faith, it comes down to something very simple.  The confession of the mouth and belief in your heart.  The beginning of a lifetime of transformation by confessing Jesus as Lord.  A movement of heart, soul, mind, and body from the pursuit of selfish desires to that of following Jesus.

This choice of confession is what begins our life of following Jesus.  Choosing Him as Lord above all other things, believing that He died for the payment of our sins and rose again.  Our life transformation starts with the choice to follow and never ends till we see Jesus face to face.

I remember the day I made the choice, others I know do not, but they make the same choice I do each day, to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.  The start was sandy and sweaty, but the journey has been worth it.