My Story

And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. 

1 John 4:16

 

We had no Bible, we didn't go to church, and God was not ever mentioned. From early on, I remember believing that there was a God, but He was just out there somewhere watching me to see when I would mess up. Then He would be there in an instant to zap me.

We lived in Boulder, Colorado, a college town, mostly upper middle class, and hippie capital of the world. So many diverse influences on my life, but Christianity was not one of them. My parents loved me but I didn't feel loved. My family was very moral. Being of Czechoslovakian descent, my upbringing was characterized by such beliefs as "children are to be seen and not heard", work before play, and stoicism. We were not physically affectionate and praise was handed out sparingly.

By the time I was in high school I had been approached by well-meaning Christians who attempted to share the Good News with me. I was not open to listening then or for several more years. It wasn't until I was a sophomore in college when some of my girlfriends invited me to a Campus Crusade for Christ event one evening that I prayed to accept Jesus as my Savior. I didn't share my decision with anyone and I didn't know anything about how to walk with God in my daily life so I didn't grow as a Christian for another few years.

I married after college graduation, and my husband and I were introduced to a discipleship ministry known as The Navigators. I learned the basic disciplines of being a follower of Christ, and I had an insatiable hunger for the Word of God, but I really struggled to experience the love, joy, and peace that had always been missing.

I had been a believer for about ten years, when I finally had a breakthrough and a significant "ah-ha" moment in the middle of the night. The verse that captured my heart and made a difference in how I lived my life was 1 John 4:16. Knowing and believing the love God had for me connected my head with my heart!

Lord, thank You for loving me and allowing me to experience Your love in a real way as Your child. Thank You for writing my story.

Karen Sims