January 18, 2008

Searching No More

I originally posted my testimony in 2006. Since I have several new readers, I'm re-posting so you can get to know me better.


I have never met my biological father. He left when I was an infant, and never returned to our lives. The only picture I've seen of him is in one of my mom's high school yearbooks. He could literally walk up to me today, and I wouldn't know it was him.

Mom remarried when I was 3, and her husband has been my dad since that time. I don't remember life before him. He adopted me and raised me as his own. I love and respect him with all of my heart. He's been a good father. But I was haunted by guilt. I was ashamed that my biological father didn't love me enough to have a relationship with me. I felt there must be something horribly wrong with me. Ever since I can remember, I've knocked myself out to please people. I kept thinking that if I could just somehow be good enough, my biological father would come back and love me.

I worked hard to be the star student. The golden child. The parent-pleaser. Respectful and responsible. As perfect as I could possibly be. Yet it still wasn't good enough.

Fast forward to high school. Striving for perfection left me empty inside. Although I knew my parents loved me, I was afraid their love was conditioned upon my performance. (Pressure I, not they, put on me.) I thought I had to make all the right choices, be the right girl. On the outside, I was confident to the point of being arrogant.

On the inside, the cry of my heart was "Won't someone please love me?"

That gigantic need drove me to many desperate places. To many inappropriate relationships. To horrible, disastrous choices. Despite the scholarships and accolades...despite the best performances I could give...I was constantly looking for someone to love me. When I was 19, I lost my grandfather & my best friend within 3 months of each other. I was devastated. I had a deep, cavernous void in my life, and I could only think to fill it with other relationships. In trying to use others to fill the vacuum, I found that I was the one being consumed. I was still empty, and I felt like I was vanishing before my very eyes.

I didn't grow up in a Christian home. Although my parents were both raised in church, they both turned away from all things Christian before I was born. I remember going through a period of attending church sporadically, but it didn't last long. I attended church only when I visited my grandparents. I went to Vacation Bible School a couple of times with my cousins. Yet I gave little, if any, thought to Jesus.

I began to curse God. If there was a God (which I wasn't so sure of), I certainly didn't want any part of Him. I shudder to think about the things I said about Him. It's a wonder He didn't strike me dead on the spot.

Then I met my husband, R. I later found out He was a Christian, though he had strayed. I've already shared the story of our courtship. We needed a church to get married in, so we started attending one. For the first time in my adult life, I admitted there was a loving God. I thought that was salvation. After we married, we moved to another church. I discovered that there was more to salvation than believing in God. I thought I made that step, and would be assured of my Heavenly home.

Four years later, during a Beth Moore Bible study, I read the story of David and Jonathan. I was in tears as I read how Jonathan, the prince, took off his beautiful robes and exchanged them with David, the shepherd boy. The prince took on the filthy, smelly, disgusting clothes of the shepherd boy. It hit me...Jesus did that for me. He took all that smut and ick in my life, and He put it on to give me a pure robe! Sitting on my bed, I genuinely gave my heart to Christ that night. And all the guilt and shame, the bad choices, the emptiness...they were all gone! I didn't have to beg anyone to love me anymore. Jesus filled that hole with Himself...and the earthly relationships provide the overflow.

Every now & again, Satan tries to remind me that I'm not worthy of God. This, I already know! Every time I enter a church, I'm amazed that the building doesn't fall down around me! But I take comfort in these verses penned by Paul...for I could have written them myself.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
~1 Tim. 1:12 - 17 (NIV)

11 comments:

Kelly said...

Melissa, thank you so much for your willingness to be vunerable and share your borken places. I have found that God uses and blesses this in a mighty way to minister to others.

Anonymous said...

Melissa,

I would be one of those new readers...thank you for sharing your testimony...despite the pain of the past...God is such a Redeemer isn't He...and I am sure that He has used your story to minister to those that relate deeply with your childhood...and He will continue due to your authenticity...being real breaks down walls...thank you.

I really love your blog...and it is so aptly titled...

Blessings,

Helen

Kimberly said...

Thank you so much for sharing. I see so much of my own testimony in yours, the search to be loved, pride on the outside but such longing and insecurity on the inside. I love reading the testimonies of others! He is so amazing! I have been thinking of posting my own testimony somewhere on my page.
Sharing who He is....that's what it's all about!
Love and blessings,
Kimberly

Tiffany said...

Beautiful, and touching... thank you for sharing. I love to hear the different ways the Lord draws us to Himself! (Smiles!) It pierces my heart to know how very much He loves us, longs for us, comes after us in thousands of diffrent ways, searching for the same thing we're searching for- love, our love. Can you imagine Him sitting there saying Melissa, love me, please just love me!- Knowing that LOVE fills every empty hole! Blessings my dear friend and sister in Christ! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Alana said...

Beautiful testimony. It gave me goosebumps!

Love ya!

Heather C said...

Although I grew up in a Christian home, much of your testimony is parallel to mine. As a relatively new reader, I'm so grateful you reposted this. Thank you for sharing it! What a beautiful picture of the wondrous exchange... our emptiness for His fullness!

Heather

Janelle said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I truly believe that in sharing our stories with others, God is honored. He is the author and perfector of our faith.

Your story blessed me!

Heather said...

I love the image of Jonathon and David and how that touched your heart. Thanks for sharing your story.

Mary@notbefore7 said...

What a beautiful ending to your journey. It is hard to go to those tough places, but seeing how your Creator rescued you is such a blessing.

Thanks for sharing. I am off to read the courtship story.

Terri | Sugar Free Glow said...

Thank you for sharing this---God is so good!

I love your January Projects in the sidebar! Go you!!

I always love visiting your blog.

Have a blessed Sunday!

:)

Tiffany said...

When you have a chance stop by my blog. I've got an award for you! Blessings!