All month long, we're talking about ways to find order and balance in today's busy world. As today's story explains, true balance can only begin when you surrender your heart to God and allow him to order your steps.
by Kim Weizycki
I remember, when I was about 18, in the checkout line at Publix, and being asked by the checker if I was, "saved." “Saved from what?” I asked. When she began to share the Gospel with me, I was offended. I was only buying groceries and certainly didn’t want to hear about what a sinner I was and how I needed “saving.”
Over the next many years my co-worker and very good friend, would frequently talk about her church, God, salvation, and how following God’s principles according to the Bible would be life changing for me—in many good ways. I didn’t really understand a lot of it, and we had many friendly debates over the topics she presented. I was living the way “everyone else” was living: cohabitation, in credit card debt, partying every weekend, flirtatious, harboring resentment, and putting myself and my wants first.
Years later I married my boyfriend and after a personal tragedy, we started pondering the idea of going to a church. We had been invited many times by a neighbor and since we had just started a family, and knew we wanted to raise our kids differently, we decided one weekend to go. At that first service, December 2, 2000, 10 years after being asked at Publix if I had been saved, I declared to God that I recognized I needed a Savior and acknowledged that his Son was, according to the scriptures, the only way.
From that day forward, I had a desire to learn more. My husband and I made a decision that attending church every week, NO EXCUSES, was priority. Almost immediately we signed up for small groups, I served in the nursery, and he auditioned for the worship team. We had a desire to surround ourselves with people from whom we could learn and be accountable. Through the weekly sermons and a commitment to weekly bible study, which included daily reading, we began to see our lives become more orderly: our opinions of "worldly living" changed when we saw the dangers and risks for what they were, we began living within our means, were more careful of our word choices, began prioritizing our marriage and family, repented of dangerous habits and practices, began a practice of forgiving when we were offended or asking forgiveness when we offend, and started serving with our time and treasure. Making a choice to live this way, as my friend told me years before, would be life changing—for the better.
So… what is salvation, or “being saved?”
Believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all the people by dying on the cross. Believing that He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. Believing that He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13 Romans 10:13)
After reading my Bible and praying for God to show me who He is, (because I was doubtful), I believed in my heart that atonement for my sins was the purpose of Jesus dying on the cross. He paid the price for all of us. It is a gift. It can’t be earned. Just received.
I am so thankful for God never giving up on us and using others to lead us to a place of balance in our lives…a place where God is the center of it all.
Kim has been married to Larry Wiezycki for 16 years and they have two boys, ages 9 and 11. When Kim isn't in church, she can be found teaching curly girls how to take care of their hair, spending way too much time on Facebook or reading real books, and running a 5k here and there.