“Christianity is the gospel of the failed,
of the ungodly, the unable, the unwilling,
who simply woke up one day
invited to God’s house and went. Period.”
- John Lynch
My conversion experience was exactly like this.
I was driving home from high school one day listening to one of my WOW CDs from years past and Jaci Velasquez's "God So Loved"
came on. Now I wasn't listening to this CD because I was a Christian or even had any Christian sentiments. When I was in the 7th grade I went through a really odd phase in which I decided I was a "Christian" and got my mom to get me all these WOW CDs. I even listened to the Christian radio station - 101.1 Reality. The phase lasted for no more than 2 months at the most. It didn't take long at all for me to revert right back to the previous religion that I held. A religion that I practiced for some 8 years. Sorry about not going into details on that matter, it's just a little too personal.
So anyway, I'm driving along and this song starts streaming out of my speakers. The words hit me as if I have never heard them before. If you can't already tell from the song's title, the chorus is John 3:16 -
I was driving home from high school one day listening to one of my WOW CDs from years past and Jaci Velasquez's "God So Loved"
came on. Now I wasn't listening to this CD because I was a Christian or even had any Christian sentiments. When I was in the 7th grade I went through a really odd phase in which I decided I was a "Christian" and got my mom to get me all these WOW CDs. I even listened to the Christian radio station - 101.1 Reality. The phase lasted for no more than 2 months at the most. It didn't take long at all for me to revert right back to the previous religion that I held. A religion that I practiced for some 8 years. Sorry about not going into details on that matter, it's just a little too personal. So anyway, I'm driving along and this song starts streaming out of my speakers. The words hit me as if I have never heard them before. If you can't already tell from the song's title, the chorus is John 3:16 -
For God so loved the world,
that He gave His one and only Son
that whosoever believes in Him
will not perish but have
everlasting life.
I was suddenly incredibly aware of my failings and inability. The reality of my sin hit me like a freight train, waking me up from an 18-year long coma. God's desire for me to enter His house and be a part of His loving family washed over me with an unparalleled power. He invited me into His house and I had no choice but to go - it simply wasn't possible to take any other path.
I woke up, was invited, and went. Period. Just like the above quote says. I had no say in the matter and I am incredibly thankful for that. Because if such a thing were left up to my incredibly human heart and mind, I don't know if I ever would have stepped over the threshold. I am weak and unable and everyday I thank God for that truth! I don't want to rely on my own power because, without God, I am a constant failure, a perpetual sinner, and useless to make a positive impact in this world. But God doesn't care that that's who I am, He loves me despite all of that and maybe even because of all that. He welcomes me into His arms because He is the God "of the failed, of the ungodly, the unable, [and] the unwilling."
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