What gives you direction in life?

That which gives me life, also guides my life.

For some reason, I distinctly remember that moment even though it was 31 years ago. I was in church in Towson, Md. This wasn’t “my” church, per se, but since my mom had been forcing me to go to service with her co-worker, Ms. Ida, this had been the place where I’d spent all of my Sunday mornings. But on this particular Sunday, my life changed in a way that I never could have imagined.

After the preacher person (I knew no titles or names back then) had finished preaching, he then asked if anyone wanted to give their lives to God. Before I could even process what that question meant, I felt someone grabbing my hand and leading me down what seemed like an endless aisle. Once at the top, I was unwillingly presented before the congregation as a candidate to be Baptized. Maybe Ms. Ida and my mom had engaged in some conversation that I was not aware of but in hindsight, that act was mighty presumptuous of Ms. Ida…

I am not one who believes that a person must be a certain age to get baptized, but I firmly believe that the candidate must be fully aware of what they are doing. And considering my trauma-filled mind at that time, I had no clue what I was doing or why. Nevertheless, I was headed towards baptism and Jesus would be my Savior. (Fun Fact, it took me about 22 years to truly understand and appreciate what that meant.) Yet despite my youth and naivety, that action positively changed the trajectory of my life. I can’t explain it, but somehow even though I barely understood who God was, He knew me and I could feel His love for me.

As an adult, I now know that the moment we accept Jesus into our hearts, He takes over. Opposition will come but it’s like it hits a clear, glass barrier, preventing it from consuming us. Like the words of Isaiah 54:17, opposition does not prosper in the life of the Believer. For that, I am eternally grateful.

The day that I welcomed Jesus into my heart was the same day that I gave consent for God to guide my life. From year to year, the direction may be different, but the destination is still the same- I’m pressing towards Him.