When we are busy making plans and embarking on work for the future, reflecting on God’s work in the past is beneficial. I’ve posted this previously, but after looking back at myself this afternoon and considering where I’ve been, I wanted to share my testimony with you again. As I type this summary, I am thankful for the memories of my salvation that flood my thoughts. I believe my rescue was orchestrated by God himself because Jesus met me where I was. Praise God that he chose to not leave me there.
I grew up in a family where Jesus and the Bible were never mentioned. My dad’s dynamic personality set the tone of our home, and he was agnostic. Despite the lack of biblical influence in the days of early childhood, a fourth-grade friend introduced me to the children’s ministry of a local S.B.C. church. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes by hearing by the Word of God,” during the week of Vacation Bible School, I heard the truth. As written about Lydia, Paul’s first European convert in Acts 16:14, “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention,” and this particular day was no different. The summer of my tenth birthday, God saved me!
Whether curiosity or a God-given desire to know more about Jesus, I walked to church on Sunday mornings and learned from a faithful teacher. About six months in, I was baptized. John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them,” and I am so grateful. I’m a child of the King!
Early on, I valued serving Christ and his Church. Over the years, my heart shifted from teaching children to reaching, leading, and serving women. Serving in my church and a time of leadership in B.S.F. deepened my appreciation of God’s equipping. But the more I matured in my faith and with the opportunities I had been afforded, the more I knew God expected me to do my part. I developed a deep desire to represent His Word rightly (2 Tim. 2:12), and with that in mind, my story took a turn.
At 56, I sat in a classroom for an advanced theology track in Ft. Worth, Texas. With much younger men and women (pastors and would-be counselors) to my right and left, I gripped my pen and fixed my mind on every word coming from the front of the room. Despite decades of Bible study and faithful church attendance, it wasn’t until learning these ancient truths that theological gaps emerged. But there was something in those particular moments that I was sure of, maybe even convicted of: I needed to carry learning further.
By the grace of God, I did just that through Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Even though I had known Jesus since childhood, it was when poring over these doctrines I began to know and understand with clarity what Christianity is. In this season of formal education, I understood how theological views affect all aspects of life. It was a busy time, but it was the best of times. With the filling of those theological gaps, my life’s focus changed: God’s purposes in me and with me became clear.
Make no mistake here. My 62 years of life experience has walked a curvy path. Yet, consistency in my faith walk and love from God’s people have been a sustaining factor. Since my day of salvation, I’ve known that no matter life circumstances, I have the assurance of my heavenly inheritance. By way of the cross, I live life eternal – a sinner, yet forgiven by God’s amazing grace. I have been justified by grace, the atoning blood of Jesus, and through faith (Rom. 3:23-24) that He is the Christ who died and rose again on the third day.
Debbie Swindell 