Flipping the Switch: Turning on the GPS

​There was nothing special about the night that changed my life. 
 
It was a typical winter evening in southern Michigan.  The night was cold.  The air crisp and frosty.   Light snow was on the ground, but the roads were clear.  It was 1973, and I was 18.  January was coming to an end, but my second semester in Bible school was just beginning.   
 
The date was January 27th.  

​A special evening chapel was being held in the main auditorium on campus.  The building was stately - a product of the 1920s.  It was red brick, with four massive columns framing the main entrance.   Inside, the ceiling was high – with a balcony hovering over the back third of the room.  The seats were theater-style.  The kind that flipped up when not in use.  They were wooden, bare, and they were hard – all 700 of them.

---

Minutes before 7:00pm, I slid into a row on the main floor.  Shed my coat, and hunkered down.  I sat on the left side, just below the front edge of the balcony.   I was in the shadows - near the back.  And, while I was inside a building, my thoughts were elsewhere.   To me, the meeting was just a mandatory obligation to kick off the new semester.
                                                                                                                                                         
I don’t remember much of the overall content of the meeting.  That memory is pretty hazy.  But, I do vividly recall the impact of a classmate’s testimony.  That memory is clear.  Crystal clear.
 
Debie, was from Chicago.   We had both started school the previous Fall.  We were in many of the same classes.   So, I was aware of her, and knew a bit of her story.  That evening she was asked to give her testimony.  She shared how God had delivered her from the occult, and her membership in a coven.   She spoke of the reality of freedom, release, peace, and purpose that God had given her.  Her transformation was deep, and it was profound.   Jesus was clearly her Lord and Savior.
 
As I listened, I had a classic “crisis” with my belief system.  It was a crossroads moment.  One that begged for a decision.  If God was truly real, then what was I going to do about it?  Like the challenge of the tightrope walker, did I believe, and if so, was I going to trust.  Was I willing to get into God’s “wheelbarrow”?
 
God convicted me that night of my complacency, and I made a life-changing decision.      
 
Sitting in that wooden theater seat, I surrendered my life to God.   I wanted God’s peace, freedom, and purpose in my life.  I agreed to give God control of my life.   He had my permission.  If he wanted to use me to fit his plan, he could.  My decision wasn’t melodramatic, but it was profound.   It was pivotal, and significant.  There was no fanfare.  In fact, I didn’t talk about my decision till much later, but I quietly made a commitment to God and myself.

That night, I turned on the power source to the GPS (God’s Power & Salvation) in my life.  I flipped the switch on my own receiver, and gave God permission to be the navigator in my life.   What had largely been my parent’s faith, up until this point, was fully mine. 

​​Jesus was now my Lord and Savior.

Note:  A year and a half later, Debie helped me get connected to my first summer ministry experience.   We were both counselors at the same camp.  Decades since, we still keep in touch.  And, Debie and her husband are still faithfully serving God. 

​Oh, and she heartily approves of my decision, and this post!

Next Time: Reflections in the Mirror: 
​The Story Behind the Story

Photo Credits: 
Photo: GRSBM Facebook Page