“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
— 1 John 5:13
Emily’s church had brought a busload of middle school kids to hear a well-known Christian singer. Emily and her friend Rachel followed José, the youth leader, and his wife, Maria, into the auditorium. Seats were filling up fast.
Soon the concert began. The music was great. Often the audience clapped along, stomped their feet, and called out. After a number of songs, the singer started telling how he had come to know Jesus.
“Accept Jesus, and all your problems will be over,” the singer said.
Emily felt confused. I’ve already invited Jesus into my life. But I still have problems. Is there something I didn’t do right?
All around Emily, kids began standing up and going forward. One minute Emily wanted to join them; the next she felt as if her feet wouldn’t move. Should I go forward again? she wondered. Didn’t I really accept Jesus?
On the ride back to church, Emily found an empty seat next to Maria. She wanted to talk about how she was feeling, but she wasn’t quite sure where to begin. “Maria, the singer said that if I became a Christian, all my problems would be over. But they aren’t!”
“Are you confused?” Maria asked. “I’m glad you told me. The singer didn’t explain that very well. He should have said, ‘If you accept Jesus, he’ll be with you in your problems.’ ”
Whew! Emily felt as if a heavy bag of books had fallen off her back.
“Have you found that’s true since you asked Jesus to be your Savior?”
Emily thought about it for a moment and nodded. “He explained it in a different way — the singer, I mean.”
“Did you wonder if you needed to go forward again?” Maria asked.
Emily nodded.
“Sometimes that happens. Different speakers use different ways to explain how to receive salvation. But when José and I prayed with you a few months ago, you told Jesus you were sorry for your sins and asked forgiveness. You asked him to be your Savior and Lord. When you did that, you became a Christian.”
“But — ” Emily hesitated. “Sometimes I’m not sure. Sometimes I don’t feel like I’m a Christian.”
“If you believed what you were saying when you prayed that prayer, you are a Christian,” Maria told her. “You can’t depend on your feelings. You have to go by what God promises.”
Digging in a pocket of her jacket, Maria pulled out a small Bible. When she found the right place, she turned the Bible toward Emily. “Read this.”
Emily looked down and started reading. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life . . .” In Maria’s Bible the word know was underlined.
Emily took a deep breath, then let it out. All around her, the bus was noisy, but deep inside Emily, there was something steady and quiet.
More to Explore: Romans 10:9
Girl Talk: What did Maria mean when she said, “You can’t depend on your feelings. You have to go by what God promises.”
God Talk: “Thank you, Jesus, that through your death on the cross, you give me salvation and eternal life, beginning right now. Amen.”
From Girl Talk by Lois Walfrid Johnson