A SEEMINGLY LONG ROAD | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: A SEEMINGLY LONG ROAD | Previous Challenge Entry
By Verna Mull
04/06/15
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A Seemingly Long Road
Raising a child can be a hair raising experience.
As I look back over my life and view the opportunities which I had as a child, and the many headaches which I must have given to my parents, I admire their persistence, and dedication to their Savior.
My dear mother had a lot of experience before I graced their home. She had given birth to 4 other children, lost one, at 9 months of age, and then, when she was 42 years old, I appeared upon the scene.
One would think that both she and I should have it made, which much to her dismay, was not the case.
Mother started reading Bible Stories to me for as long as I can remember, and taught me to pray almost as soon as I could talk. I started with a little prayer of
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. Guide me through this starry night, and wake me in the sunshine, all happy and bright! Bless Mama, Daddy, Gaylord, and sissy. Amen.
I believe she should have added, “And please help me to be a good girl!”
Oh, yes, my Father certainly did his part also, as we read from the Bible every day, and had prayer together as a family.
My parents were very scrupulous about obedience, asking forgiveness, and treating others as we would like to be treated.
We attended church nearly every time the doors were opened except when it rained. We lived on a dirt road, and could not go anywhere when the road was muddy, which was much to my dismay.
I will never forget the day that I earned the huge picture chart which we had each week in Sunday School. I had to learn the verse for each Sunday of the quarter, be well behaved, and not miss a single Sunday in attendance. I had missed it several times, due to rain.
If my dolls could speak, they would surely have been exhausted from the many times which I taught them the Bible Stories.
Needless to say, with all the opportunities which I had, I thought I had been born a Christian. There were many years when the Lord would convict me of some of my behavior, and I would just think “whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and I would continue merrily on my way. My belief did nothing for me, as it did not change the way I reacted to situations, jealousy, and many other situations which I am not proud of.
I am sure that my parents never realized the struggles which I had within. I thought that they were proud of me and I didn’t want to face the fact that I was a sinner deep within my heart.
I praise the Lord for sending an evangelist to our church when I was 13 years old. He had meetings for the young people after school. Enough of the students attended that the bus took us to the church for the youth meeting and then took us home afterward.
I really cannot say if it was something this evangelist said in the services, or simply because he held a contest on the number of chapters which we read that week in the Bible; but as I read God’s Word for myself, God began to speak to my heart, and I gave my life to Christ, the last evening of the revival.
Did I become perfect? Certainly not, and I’ve failed the Lord many times, but I can say that He has never failed me. I gained the respect which I should have had for my parents through the entire 13 years, and had the desire to work on some of the things which I did, which I knew were wrong.
I thank God that He has lifted me up each time that I fell, and slipped back into some of my old ways, and most of all, He gave me comfort and peace which I had never felt before.
Yes, I am thankful for the training which I was blessed to have, but have often wondered that my parents never gave up on me, but most of all, I’m thankful that Jesus Christ died for me, and has been even more patient with me than my parents.

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