Friday, 04 June 2010 14:23

Crystal

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Crystal Crystal KGF

I grew up in a Christian home and was raised a believer. I went to church with my family regularly and had my own strong relationship with God at a very young age. I knew God and knew of his love and I wanted to share it with everyone. I remember sitting in a park when I was eight with my Precious Moment’s Bible and I asked Pastor Larry Schram if girls could be pastors, too. He said “Yes” of course. I lived my childhood life with God in me and all around me. Apparently I was preaching to everyone.

Then, when I turned sixteen, my life started to get difficult and confusing. In between then and about a month ago, I was diagnosed with multiple heart conditions, had two scope heart surgeries, a Pulmonary Embolism, fought with an eating disorder and depression, and just recently I found out I suffer from temporal Lobe seizures.

It has been a very dark time for me and I found it hard to talk to God. I was lost, alone, angry and sad. I still believed, but my faith had never been the same.

Then a few months ago, I had a call to start attending church again. Plus, my sister had told me that the new pastor at KGF wasn’t all that bad. I heard that there was a baptism class and God called me to it. I didn’t think I was ready but the call was so strong that I couldn’t ignore it.

Monday night, I’m lying in bed trying to figure out what I should write about for my testimony. I started to pray to God for help. I then turned over to my nightstand and there was a poem. It practically hit me in the face. I started reading it again.

Footprints In the Sand

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking with the Lord.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.

When his last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back at the footprints

in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints.

He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it.

Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way.

But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life,

there is only one set of footprints.

I don’t understand why when I needed you the most you would leave me.

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child. I love you and I would never abandon you.

During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you.”

After I read it, I started crying. I was happy, relieved, lifted up and I was found. The feeling that I had was so beautiful and it still hasn’t gone away. God had been there for me the whole time, and that’s why I was strong enough in the first place to go through all that I had. I haven’t been this close to God since I was sixteen and this is just the beginning. I am God’s child and He loves me.

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Mike Penninga

Mike Penninga is first a foremost a son of God, a husband of Michelle, a father of 3, and a pretty good tennis player. A grad of Trinity Western University and ACTS seminary with a background in broadcast journalism, Mike has a passion for sharing the life changing news of Jesus Christ in understandable and captivating ways. He has been the lead pastor at KGF since March 2009.

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