God was the Wizard of Oz to me as a child. I remember being made aware of two kingdoms from a very early age: the Kingdom of Good and the Kingdom of Evil. I imagined myself on a quest much like Dorothy or Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings. I thought I had to serve the Kingdom of Good (God) or get swallowed up by the Kingdom of Evil (Satan). So I had a real fear of both realms and felt very small and insignificant in the quest or journey. I also felt very detached and removed or remote from these two awesome beings who ruled good and evil. There was a sense that I was on my own in my quest to survive by doing enough good to possibly please God and avoid Satan. Fortunately, my performance was fairly consistently positive, but the fear was always there.
Then I remember going to see a movie that rocked my view of the world. It was called Joni, and it told the true story of a young lady who was paralyzed in a diving accident. I related to Joni as an athlete and good performer, but I disconnected when she related to Jesus, God’s Son sent to earth to save people from their sin and state of separation from God. Joni not only related to God as if he was so close that he was actually within her and helping her, but she also found her strength to live and go on from God after all her athletic future and ability to perform were wiped away. I watched in disbelief as a woman lay in a hospital bed completely incapable of helping herself, let alone accomplish any good, and I watched her gain a peace and inner strength that I knew I lacked. I knew I did not have what Joni had, since I could not imagine being her state without killing myself.
So, after the movie I found a leader in a church to speak with and asked about how I might find the peace and freedom from fear that Joni had. He told me that Jesus was the missing link in my life. I needed to accept Jesus as God and his death on the cross as my protection from Satan’s Kingdom. He explained that Jesus came to be close to us and pay the price of our sin which keeps us separated and removed or remote from God. But Jesus didn’t just come and go years ago, he promised the Holy Spirit to everyone who accepted him. It was the Holy Spirit who was in Joni, helping her to live in peace with God, and could be in me too. It explained the close connection Joni claimed to have with God. So, I prayed a prayer acknowledging Jesus as God and accepting his death as payment for my sin and asking the Holy Spirit to enter my life and to help me live in peace with God.
Immediately the fear was gone from my heart! I began to read and study the Bible with a passion. Soon after, I became interested in serving others and not just myself. With the fear gone my motivation for good works also changed and I actually enjoyed it. I too experienced the peace Joni had. My disbelief changed to belief and it can for you as well. I invite you to experience the freedom from fear that only comes through accepting Jesus for who he is—God and asking him for forgiveness and for his Holy Spirit to help you live in peace with God.
