Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: "Splash" 4-11-13 Deadline (04/04/13)
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TITLE: Anticipation | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sylvia Hensel
04/06/13 -
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The thought came to me that I was present at both births; the first, I remembered nothing. The second, I would never forget. It was May of 1968. Little did I know this was the beginning of the end of my life as I knew it. My husband, Tom, had been sent to Germany for one year with his Reserve unit. He was so anxious to return home and I was so anxious for a divorce. Prior to his leaving, I never would have considered such a thing as it was against my religious beliefs.
Tom was a simple man, quiet and unassuming which I consider boring. He loved me and was completely satisfied with our marriage. I, on the other hand wanted more. When Tom left for Germany, our friends deserted me. In my loneliness, I turned to the single girls I worked with. It was a disaster in the making. I was turned on to the party life and decided I was having too much fun to return to a ho-hum marriage. I was willing to forsake home, family and church for the pleasures of this world.
His homecoming was a sad affair as I greeted him with cold indifference. We fought for two days until I finally blurted out that I wanted a divorce. Tom was devastated. He couldn’t handle life without his family. This dear, easy-going man turned to drink. He became surly and morose. I was told he was carrying a gun. In his frame of mind, he was volatile. I lived in constant fear for three years.
We stayed together during that time. I was too afraid to leave him. We even continued attending church. It was this very thing God used to culminate His perfect plan for my life. God had orchestrated the circumstances that caused me and my family to be in a church, not of our faith, on that fateful Sunday morning. I came with a heavy heart. I could take no more; something had to change. When I stepped into the vestibule of that church, the power of the Holy Spirit went through my entire being like a lightning bolt. I ran down the aisle to the front pew where I proceeded to cry throughout the entire service. When it was over, I was led to that precious altar where I prayed the sinner’s prayer.
I would like to say I was birthed into the Kingdom at that moment; but I can’t. However, I can say the birth pains began and lasted three days. It was a time of torment. I began to hear voices speaking in rapid succession, one telling me the prayer had no power, the other saying I was being called for the last time, I wouldn’t be called again. It seemed strange, but I can’t refute what was said.
Three days later, at ten a.m. while I sat at my desk at work, the Holy Spirit’s power once again went through me and then Jesus spoke. He said He had fought Satan for my soul for three days and that He had won. At that point, it felt as though I had stepped over heaven’s threshold and the gates slammed shut behind me. I walked away from my old life, including my church, without ever looking back. I was now a new creature in Christ.
Immediately the Holy Spirit put in my heart the need for baptism; however, baptismal services weren’t scheduled for another four months. My anticipation knew no bounds. At last, here I stood. The Pastor was asking me why I wanted to be baptized. I responded boldly, “I want to be one with Jesus.” SPLASH! As I slipped under the water, death consumed me. I rose from my watery grave to the glorious, resurrection power of Jesus Christ, my Savior.
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