I am a fortunate person and I know it. I was blessed with wonderful Christian parents who raised me in the church and taught me right and wrong. But even that auspicious upbringing was not enough to save my soul. As a little 7-year-old girl, I remember going to church every time the doors were open. I remember an awareness of thinking I must be "good" because I did all the right things. But then, during the spring revival, I watched as the brother of one of my friends announced his decision to become a Christian. That was what God needed to get my attention. I thought I was good, I didn't need anything else . . . but I didn't think this boy was any different from me. God began to work on my heart and make me aware of my need. I may have only been seven years old, but I knew how to argue with God even then! I didn't need to be saved. I was part of a Christian family. I would be embarrassed to stand before all those people and say I wasn't the perfect, little girl I was convinced they thought I was. I didn't want to call attention to the fact that just maybe I wasn't as good as I tried to pretend I was! Over the next month (which seemed like an eternity to a little girl), I was miserable. We hear about adults who are under the "conviction of the Holy Spirit," but who would have thought my little seven-year-old self could be made so uncomfortable. God made me so aware of my need. I wasn't as good as I thought I was. I knew that, but I thought if I could fool everyone else it didn't matter. God made me aware that my parents knowing Him was personal and for them . . . that I had to reach a point of coming to know Him personally as well. But still I rebelled. I was afraid my parents would be angry if they knew I wasn't good enough already. Every night I cried myself to sleep. I knew I had a great need -- even if I was an innocent seven-years-old. I knew that I was rebelling against God. And deep inside, I knew that was sin. After several weeks of this, my older sister went to my parents and complained that I was keeping her awake with my crying so my dad came and sat down on the bed beside me to ask what was bothering me. As I began to cry out my little confession of my awareness that I needed God, my dad shared the simplicity of how even as a child all I had to do was respond to God's proddings and allow Him to take control of my heart and life. It was so simple. I had made it hard! I remember singing the little chorus about "the peace that passeth understanding," but even though I may not understand it -- I've experienced it. As I prayed under my daddy's guidance that night, all the tears and turmoil disappeared. I was no longer torn by my seven-year-old failings. It didn't matter that I wasn't good enough, because I had discovered that Jesus was. I'm a long way past seven years old now and I'm not any better than I was then. In point of fact, I'm sure I've gotten worse as far as MY actions and MY choices and MY life. But ever since that night so long ago that seems like only yesterday, my life has been filled with the peace of a perfect Lord who loved me enough to die for me and cover my imperfections with His perfection. However, in the many years that have intervened since I was seven, I have come to see that God is faithful. I have many times felt God directly guiding and prodding me in the ways I should go. Sometimes I listen better than I do at other times, but His presence has never been in doubt. I pray that you, too, know my Lord. If not, I hope you can come to know a little more about Him from having read my testimony, my family's testimonies, exploring the Bible study, and visiting my church home -- all listed in the links below. Testimony of God's grace as evidenced in our lives during our oldest son's battle with leukemia God's goodness -- even in the death of my father Bible Study -- Studies in Jonah by my dad, Neil Foster My church -- Emmanuel Baptist Church, Enid, OK Background from Grapholina Animations