Since Christmas is the season of miracles I would like to share a little miracle story of my own. This is the story of how I came into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
When I was young I would hear about this man named Jesus Christ. This man was turning water into wine, feeding thousands of people with only a few fish and a few loaves of bread, and this man was even bringing people back to life. I began asking myself, how someone can turn water into wine? How can a human possibly raise someone from the dead? I didn’t realize it, but I was slipping away from the one thing that could truly make me happy in life.
When I was in the 6th grade, I participated in 30 Hour Famine. The Youth Group and I didn’t eat for 30 hours to see what it is like to have no food. One of the things we had planned to do was go to a play called The 4th Wall. The play is supposed to help you find Christ. During the play there was a transformation within me. I began to realize that this Jesus was real. During the play I saw people crying. I couldn’t figure out why anyone would be weeping over Jesus. Then my body became completely weak. I realized that I needed Jesus for strength. I needed him to survive. I prayed to God, “Jesus, Come into my heart.” When I spoke those words there was the most amazing feeling in my body. This Supernatural Jesus High made me feel like I was in a completely different world. I began to cry. The tears were pouring off my face just like all of my sins were flowing out of my body.
When we got back to the church, I went into the Chapel to pray. I sat down in the long wooden pew and picked up a bible. I opened up the book and turned to the Book of Matthew. I eventually came to the story of the crucifixion. I had always heard that Jesus died for me, but I never knew about the painful way that he died. While I was reading the story, the mental images were just unbearable for me. I saw my God standing there naked with a crown of thorns on his head, while soldiers were whipping and beating him until he fell to the ground. The sight of the blood running down his face, because of the crown of thorns tearing into his head, was too much for me. They then nailed him to a cross, and he was left hanging on that cross to die. My King of Kings and Lord of Lords shouldn’t be dying like this. I began to cry again, thinking about all of the pain that Jesus must have been going through. The part that was tearing at my heart the most was that Jesus died for me. Jesus Christ died so that I may be forgiven of my sins. I then began to thank God for helping me find My Savior that weekend, and for all of the love that Jesus showed for the entire world.
A few weeks after this experience I had feelings of doubt. I wanted some sign from God that he is real. I went into the sanctuary and sat down in front of the altar. I turned to face the back of the room. My eyes rose up to see the image of Jesus designed into the stained-glass window. I asked him, “Jesus are you real? Did you really rise from the dead after you had died on the cross?” I then began to sing the song “Open the Eyes of my Heart Lord”. As I was singing the song, that Supernatural High came back to me. I stopped singing and the room seemed very still and calm. I was standing on holy ground. I looked back to the stained-glass, and the image of Jesus seemed to come to life. A ghostly white figure of Jesus stepped out of the window and began to walk towards me. He was walking towards me with his arms spread wide as if he were coming to embrace me. The figure disappeared, but I knew what message God was sending me. Every doubt in my mind had vanished. There is no more questioning in my mind. My God is a living God, and He does miraculous things.
Matt Shideler
(a Johnson Memorial youth)
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