Getting Church, but Missing Jesus

This past weekend, I had the honor of sharing on Audra's blog as part of her Salvation Stories Saturday.

Here is a snippet of what I wrote:

I was raised in a Christian home and got saved at a very young age. I know because I was afraid to go to hell and every Sunday night (or so it seemed), I would ask Jesus into my heart again to ensure that it "stuck." Fast forward a few years and I began to work in the children's classes as serving was the good thing to do.

My mom was a children's pastor. I volunteered to work in the children's classes nearly every service. Again, it was because that's the thing you do if your parent is a pastor. You work. When I got to be old enough to start going to the high school group, I chose to stay working with the kids. I knew the kids liked and accepted me. 

I was homeschooled and as such, my parents were incredibly involved in what I was exposed to. Before transitioning to the community college, I enrolled at our church's Bible College. There again, I gave my heart to the Lord. But all along the way, I was learning what Christians acted like and looked like.

I can't recall an occasion where someone asked me how I was doing and wanted to know the real answer. 

Around age 18, I started working alongside the college-aged pastor as one of the college staff members. I was a little work horse and I thought what I did was invaluable. I know, because he frequently would say things that made me think that what I was doing was incredibly helpful. A pattern began to emerge. 

I began to believe that what I did ensured I was worthwhile to the pastors and other leaders. This inaccurate viewpoint also began to be the way I believed God thought about me. 

For the rest of the story, click over to Audra's site.