Rock Bottom.

The expression “life in the fast lane” described my life perfectly. When I was 18, all that mattered to me was being free to do what I wanted. Funding that lifestyle was not going well, but late one night I broke into a car and stole a few things—later selling them for easy cash. My adrenaline had never pumped so hard! I was hooked immediately! Because of the high it produced and the easy money it provided, stealing became a way of life for me. This progressed to much more serious crime and soon got out of control. Credit card fraud, stolen cars, and breaking into homes and businesses became the norm.

Life in the fast lane came to a screeching halt when I was 28 years old. My father died of cancer and my past finally caught up with me when one morning I arrived home to a driveway lined with police cars. I was charged with multiple crimes and arrested. The loss of my father, guilt, despair, and emptiness seemed to converge on me all at once. I had truly hit rock-bottom.

Life became meaningless. What was my purpose? Why was I even here? I had no clue. I had tried everything else up to this point, and now it was time to see if this “God” thing was real. I came to a fork in the road of life. Either God was real and I desperately needed His help, or He wasn’t and I would never have to give account for the things I had done. I remember saying, “God, if You’re real, I want to know You.”

I began reading various spiritual books but most of them weren’t very helpful. Hungry to know the truth, I even started reading the Bible. There was something different about this book. It drew me in and answered my questions. It said that everyone had sinned¹ and our sin had separated us from God. It also said that not only thieves, but all liars will have their part in the lake of fire!² Everyone has lied, which means that not only criminals are guilty before God, but the average person is, too! It was sobering to think that I had sinned against God and would have to face Him on Judgment Day.³

But in the Gospel of John I read verses like, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”⁴ I expected condemnation, but God was reaching out in love to rescue me from that judgment. It said, “whoever believes in Him [Jesus] should not perish but have everlasting life.”⁵. And also that, “the one who comes to Me [Jesus] I will by no means cast out.”⁶

Here was the reality I was searching for! I realized that Jesus was God, that He lived a perfect life, performed countless miracles, died on the cross to pay for my sins, and rose from the dead to prove His claims. He actually loved me and was calling me to believe on Him. I had a decision to make.

In the quietness of my room, I asked the Lord Jesus Christ to save me, and He did! That was the greatest decision of my entire life. In the weeks that followed my decision to believe on Him, my life began to radically change from the inside out. My guilty conscience was replaced with God’s peace and joy that are real and lasting, unlike the thrills of this world. I was forgiven, my eyes were opened, and a new life with the living God had just begun! I discovered that God was the Rock at the bottom, patiently waiting for me to come to the end of myself.

If you are like most people, you want real answers to life’s questions. The challenge is where to find them. The Bible is usually the last place most are willing to look because they have formed an opinion about it without ever reading it. The reason for sharing my story with you is to challenge you to read just one portion, the Gospel of John. God is waiting for you, too! Maybe it’s time for you to see if this “God thing” is real? It will be the greatest decision of your entire life.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”  ⁷

Bible verses: ¹ Romans 3:23; ² Revelation 21:8b; ³ Hebrews 9:27; ⁴ John 3:17; ⁵ John 3:16; ⁶ John 6:37; ⁷ John 6:35