
Image via Wikipedia
Written by Jackie Paulson Oct 19, 2010 Christ Centered Testimony
I originally posted this true testimony on hubpages.com
1. What were you like before you became a Christian?
I am often asked how I became a Christian. To that end I am inspired to write more about my story. To be exact, I was saved Oct 15, 1990. I was working in a Barber Shop in Illinois. I worked for someone who did not share “my fire for the Lord.” I was also going through some tough times concerning men and my relationships with men. Being young I wanted a man in my life, I wanted marriage, I wanted to move out of my dad’s house, and I wanted to start a family.
I was raised Catholic, baptized and confirmed, but I found many of the teachings and rules contradictory and more importantly inconsistent with the conclusions I had intuitively deduced. So, while raised amidst traditional religious views, I also needed explanations that made sense, and just as importantly, I have always believe such explanations were attainable.
2. What caused you to think upon the things of God?
I knew there was a God because my “real mom” passed away when I was five and she was thirty-three years old leaving my father to care for three girl babies under the age of six.
3. How did your conversion come about?
As I worked hard to build a client base at the barber shop I had worked at I developed some very personal relationships with some of the clients. About three years into this job, I was invited to one of my favorite clients house just to talk about the problems I had been having. While I babbled on and on and they “listened” somehow I felt relieved. They then asked me if they could read the “Four Spiritual Laws” booklet to me out loud. I said “sure.” Well, after that reading I accepted Jesus into my daily life and made him Lord over my Life from that day forward. What was amazing is that when I left their home, the air seemed different, the trees, the smell, just about everything. The very next day I went and searched for a bible I could read and understand the best and it was the Full Life Study Bible. I was now on fire for our Lord and read it faithfully daily and took it everywhere with me. This was the beginning of my journey with God.
4. What difference has your conversion made to your life?
Today is Oct 19, 2010 and I have countless things to share on how my conversation made a difference in my life. The most recent is how I put my faith in God in my time of trouble. To sum it up, I lost a job, could not find another one, and then got evicted from where I lived. (This happened in Feb of 2010). It has been nine months of commitment to Christ and Faith that has brought me to where I am now.
I had $800.00 and a committed relationship with a man who had $800.00. This money bought us a storage unit to move all our belongings to store. As we did not have a living place to go to arrive at. We had five days to do it. We donated most of our house to Salvation Army. In the end, we moved to another town closer to family and lived in a cheap motel for three months and three days. These were the longest days of my life as I was insecure about the location of the motel. Needless to say, I survived it. By the grace of God we got jobs and were allowed by God’s grace to move across the street to a nicer cheaper apartment with much more room. The Lord has provided just enough for us to live on but nothing extra, until now.
Now, we both have steady work and live life thanking our Lord for all the gifts and blessings he has provided in the past and daily. Our life is centered on family and reading the bible, prayer and worship. I praise God daily and want to save all the souls who do not yet know the benefits of inviting Christ into their lives. If you have questions, concerns, or comments please ask….
Love and in Christ, Jackie Paulson
UPDATE: Wow, after reading this I realized how far I have come in just one year. We are getting ready to move again as this is what our new apartment is forcing us to do. Why? Well, they are remodeling all of the apartments and updating them. Bless us as we upgrade to a bigger unit. My advice to anyone in their 40′s is to get younger helpers to help move you as I am so sick of moving that emotionally it’s taken it’s toll on me.
I ask myself, “when was the last time I was truly happy?” Yes, it was when the economy was doing okay in 2005. My spiritual insights have taught me that since 2007 we are all going into a transformation stage in our lives. Some of us are realizing our natural talents and giving up the corporate world. Some of us are starting to write more, blog more, and even write books. Some of us are starting to take care of our health. Some are starting a new business or closing an existing one.
The bottom line: Do whatever it takes to help you realize life on earth is so short that spending time helping others is really what life is all about. Amen to that. Please share anything that you feel is true for you as this transformation is so helpful in our growing process.
Rate this Hub
42.363633
-87.844794