He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24
Easter of 2013, I realized just what it meant to be a Christian. In the popular board game monopoly you are offered a get out of jail free pass. I once thought, as I know many people think today, that having the title of “Christian” meant that I said I believed in Jesus so basically I get to have a get out of Hell free pass. My only goal and my only reason for wanting to be a Christian was so I wouldn't be sentenced to an eternity in Hell, which is far from what being a child of God is all about.
It was the night before Easter, I was 15 years old, and I was watching the show The Bible on the History Channel alone in my bedroom. I had seen the movie The Passion of the Christ so it was nothing new for me. I already knew how gruesome and heartbreaking it was, but this time it hit me in a completely different way. Watching Christ get whipped so gruesomely and treated so horribly, and knowing that this had actually happened to a man who was completely blameless, and not only had it happened, but it happened for YOU and for ME had affected me in a completely new way. Now in my head I knew Christ had died on the cross for my sins, but I don't think I had a full understanding of what that meant to me.
Jesus Christ, son of God himself, guilty of no sins of any sort, was punished in the most horrific and painful way because he was freeing us of the sins we commit today. Christ died so that we could be forgiven and freed from our sins. He rose so that we could have eternal life with him one day.
I finally realized what being a Christian was truly about. Christ had died for ME, so the least I can do is live for him. I had to literally give up my life fully and devote it all to God. I had to die to myself in order to live for Christ. It was the single handedly best feeling in the entire world to know that one person cared so much for me that they would literally die to give me eternal life and look past the things that I have done.
It's not about serving Christ because you have to, to keep the status of “Christian” or because you just don’t want to end up in hell. It’s about serving him because he loves you and you love him, because he died so that you could live and you owe everything to him. It's because you want to.
By the time the show was over I was on my knees on the floor at the foot of my bed crying out to God. How could I have been so stupid?! I spent 15 years of my life thinking all I needed to do was say I believe so I wouldn't have to go to Hell. Wasting 15 years of my life that I could of spent serving the Lord to the best of my ability, but the awesome thing is that God doesn't care. He doesn't care if you're 8 or 15 or 27 or 63. He will always be there to welcome you with open arms no matter your age or how bad you think you have become. All your sins have been paid in full if you just open your heart to Christ and give him your everything. I promise you it will be the best decision of your life as it was mine.
Check out this video! It really means a lot to me! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX_EpNR4CA
Check out one of my favorite worship songs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EVco7eba0
xoxo Hannah
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