Debbie's Story

Thursday, January 05, 2012 Posted by Debbie Legg

Before my junior year of high school my family moved from the Chicago area to the Washington DC suburb of Springfield, Virginia. I was starting a new school, in a new state. (I was not at all happy about any of it, but that’s another story.)

I set out trying to make new friends. The second girl I began to form a friendship with was Dawn. She was fun and funny and adventurous. She also had this friend she talked about sometimes, who was really awesome. His name was Jesus.

The entire concept of Jesus as personable had never occurred to me, despite the fact that I had attended church (and the church’s school) my whole life. I started asking questions, wanting to know more. Dawn didn’t have all the answers, but so much of what she did say just simply made sense to me.

Only, it wasn’t making sense in my head, it was making sense in my heart. What I was learning through Dawn, and eventually through youth group and church, was truth; a deeper, wider, longer and, well, TRUER truth. Truth beyond the level of my five senses, beyond knowledge, even beyond wisdom. And the more I learned, the more I wanted to know.

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will bein you.” (John 14:16,17)

As this Spirit of Truth continued to teach me, revealing truth after truth, he continued to lead me to Jesus. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6).

One day in the spring I gave my life to Jesus, to the Spirit and to the Father, to this personable God, the creator and revealer of truth, who loved me and died for me and had a purpose for me. It’s been an amazing adventure so far; a deeper, wider, longer and truer adventure than I could ever have imagined.