Anonymous, USA
For the first 49 years of my life, I chose to ignore God. This was easy for me to do because as a Jewish, atheistic psychologist/college professor who spent most of his life in a liberal educational system, I was among people who believed that a belief in God was just one of many “alternative lifestyles” one could sample from the smorgasbord of life.
Quite ironically, my wife was a “born again” Christian and the butt of many of my friend’s jokes, much to my embarrassment. People, including myself, considered her a fanatic. In fact, our religious differences almost led to a divorce early in our marriage, which was heartbreaking, as we really loved one another. We even had a divorce date set and it was only by God’s intervention that I did not divorce her. Faithfully, she and others prayed for me for 23 years. I stubbornly resisted, resorting to clever theological and scientific arguments which a major part of our society and educational system taught me to run from God.
About three years ago, a series of events led me to the belief that there was much more to life than our society had to offer. Although I had a successful career, many friends, financial success, and a wonderful family, I felt much was lacking. Accompanying this was a growing belief that our culture and society was “using me” and telling me lies (such as one must have money and possessions to be happy, for example).
I was at the end of my rope, which by the way was exactly where God wanted me. For the first time I prayed in earnest. The first thing I prayed for was for God to remove the wedge that was between my wife and myself. God answered “what about the wedge that you put between me and you.?” I was frozen in awe and revelation; God had spoken to me! There was no way that could have come from my own mind, because 10 minutes before that I was a “dyed in the wool” atheist. I went through a week of dramatic, wonderful and sometimes painful transformation and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
He began to show me a spiritual world that had been in front of my eyes all along but which I was blind to. Sermons and Bible verses which used to seem boring and hackneyed statements of the obvious exploded in my heart; I had found the Truth, that “something special” which I knew life must contain but could not find. Since that wonderful and sweet time, God has blessed me and multiplied my prosperity and filled it with all the good things life should contain. He still speaks to me, answering my prayers, lifting me up and sharing with me His wonders of creation. My cup runneth over. Hallelujah!