There are chapters in, “A Manly Man” and, “Why You Make God Smile” that stress the importance of surrendering your heart to God before it is too late. There are prayers at the back of these books to help you get started.
You might not know this heavenly father very well, and all this talk of having a relationship with Jesus may make you feel quite inadequate.
“Eek! I’m in my late 40s and have hardly spoken a word to God, let alone done any of the other things that she is encouraging me to do! I don’t know where to start and feel like hiding away, instead of facing my fears. It’s alright for her, because she’s known Him for ages. She’s been at this all her life and has a massive head start on me!”
That notion is partly true, partly false. Yes, I have had the amazing privilege of walking with the Lord before I was in primary school, and have gone through a myriad of experiences that convince me that he’s real, he’s faithful, and can be trusted. I also know my bible pretty well because like you say, I’ve had a bit of a head start with that.
But the length of time somebody has been a Christian and their spiritual maturity are 2 different things.
There are many people who have been Christians for less than 6 months, who are doing more for God and being more obedient and reverent towards him, than thousands of others who have regularly attended church and said their prayers each night, for decades.
In the Bible, there is a story about how an employer hired servants to work for him from early morning until late at night. Before they began, he told them what the wages would be and they agreed with the amount.
However, in the early evening, the employer hired a few more men, and they did a couple of hours labour. When it came round to dishing out the wages, the men who worked the whole day noticed that the servants who were hired last got the same wages as them, so they complained about this being unfair.
It wasn’t unfair, (you can read why in Matthew 20:1-16) and God wants you to know that if you seriously wish to accept him into your life and follow Jesus, the reward for your obedience will not be less than mine, just because I’ve been ‘doing this all my life’.
God is generous and willing to bless everybody in the same way, no matter the short length of time some may have with him before their passing. I’m not super-perfect just because I’ve loved him since I was a little girl. I am always putting my foot in it, take ages to learn spiritual lessons, fall asleep while praying, and struggle to discipline myself to stick to a Bible plan.
I have many regrets, made a ton of mistakes, still eat too much chocolate in one sitting, then wonder why I feel nauseous. I say, “Your will be done.”, then expect things to go my way. I get distracted during worship, feel like giggling during quiet times of reflection, and can be rubbish at morning devotions.
Then to top it all, I go to bed too late, drive too fast, eat too fast, talk even faster.
Ooh yes, I am definately a work in progress and that progress seems to be taking forever!
But even if I was someone who could be described as remarkably disciplined, a fast learner and knows God’s every thought, it would still not make me more highly favoured than you.
So be encouraged – you’re not as far behind as you think.
Therefore, dear friends, do not let anything or anyone deter, or intimidate you from getting to know Jesus just because you feel unworthy. Come to him as you are and let him ‘worry’ about the bits and bobs that need tweeking. He alone can make beauty from ashes, so give your pile to him and I guarantee he will do incredible things with your life.
I wish you all the best.
