| Author | Message | ||
| Lisa_boyldavis Registered user Username: Lisa_boyldavis Post Number: 15 Registered: 3-2005 |
Hi friends, I wrote this to one of the FAF's here, and thought I'd put it on it's own thread as there's been discussions about the Sabbath latly. I thought maybe sharing this story might give you something to think about. Here it is: Last summer as God was gently showing us the truth about our beloved church we thought our heart would be ripped out. All that was familiar, good and bad, has been inside the Adventist culture. All my family are Seventh Day Adventists, there are two pastors included, a number of teachers.... I'm talking 3 generations on all sides including my husbandís family, Oh, and missionaries too.... It seemed too much for us to do. My husband and I both had a series of night- mares even contemplating the thought of telling everyone in our lives that we are not Adventists any more. Then a friend took me to hear Ann Graham Lotz(Billy Graham's daughter). I had just recently learned that Jesus Himself was the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath day was a shadow of Jesus, but not the real thing.... that JESUS is the real thing... All evening Ann talked about Jesus. There was an alter call. There were thousands of people there. I don't like getting emotional, and really hate making a scene, but I decided to say YES to the Spirit who was asking me to please go down to the alter. I got down there and I knelt down on my knees and I traded my beloved Sabbath for Jesus. For me, trading the Sabbath for Jesus was not an easy trade. Unlike many Adventists I talk to who have terrible memories of the Sabbath, the Sabbath in our family held nearly all good memories. My grandmother was Russian Jew, came to Ellis Island at the turn of the century. She was raised Orthodox Jew, and even had a "Gentile" light candles for them on Friday night. Grandma was orphaned at a very young age after her mother died of illness and her father and brother committed suicide. She and her two sisters were placed in separate orphanages. Grandma hung on to all that she remembered about the traditions of her family because that's all she had. She later became a Christian/Adventist, which made the Sabbath not only the right day to worship, but a HUGE family tradition. So trading the Sabbath for Jesus was one of the most gut wrenching things I've ever done. I sobbed and sobbed and sobbed for a good 40 minutes. Jesus is so much more then His Shadow. He rests me from the inside out. He frees me from my burdens. He IS MY TRADITION. I have never known such freedom in my life. I don't believe the idea of rest, even weekly rest is bad, just like I don't believe it's wrong to not murder, not wrong to not commit adultery, etc.......I just think it's better to rest all the time, love all the time, desire and adore my husband all the time,... you get the picture. Paul calls issues such as the Sabbath disputable matters... guess that's what we do best! Lisa |
