No

by Sarah E. Pollard

Created on: July 23, 2008

In my forty years of life, I have never officially proclaimed a rebirth date other than the date I was baptized, December 24, 1967. Yes, that would be just 11 days after I was born. I don't feel I could have consciously made a choice to convert at that point. I do believe that my mother's church attendance and daily devotions with my family were part of the beginning of my knowledge of Christ as my Savior. The bible states that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It states that no one can enter heaven except through Him. Christ is our only way into heaven. Through Him we are saved, not by ANYTHING we do on our own, lest anyone should boast.

Having been raised in a Lutheran family, my brothers and sisters and I were all baptized as infants, then confirmed at 14 years. My father also was baptized as an infant and confirmed at 14. My mother's parents were of different denominations and as a result, my mother had a truer, more eclectic view of what Christ intended for us as believers to proclaim to the world. Her motto, and now mine, was as follows: "It doesn't matter what is written on the door, so long as the gospel is preached within." Nowhere in any of this is there a proclamation of conversion, a being born again, or a day when everything changed. Change is often gradual, and sometimes takes many years.

I have 2 older sisters and 2 younger brothers, and each of us has a different relationship with our Christ and with the earthly church. My oldest sister does not attend church, but keeps an open line of communication with her Christ through prayer. My next older sister has followed in our father's footsteps, completely involved in her Lutheran church, making sure her children are raised with clearly Christian values. While both of my younger brothers fell away from church attendance for several years after high school, they both reinserted themselves about the time they planned to get married, wanting to carry on the tradition of church weddings. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Becoming active in the church, the older of the two became overwhelmed with responsibilities and pulled away again for a time. The other, the youngest, has been severely tested in his faith and has pulled away from all faith-related situations. He doesn't attend, nor does he keep lines of communication open with Christ in his daily life.

All this I have told you from what I have observed and what my siblings have shared with me. The only true knowledge I have about conversion comes from my own life and experiences, since we know that no one knows the heart but God. We can not judge the hearts of others. Many of the Christians I have met in my life can tell me exactly when and how they came to know Christ. Sometimes they even ask me for my testimony. This is what I tell them. I have always known Christ as my Savior. I heard it when I was in my mother's womb. I received the Holy Spirit at just 11 days old, and He has worked in my heart all my life. As a child, I was hungry for the Word. As a teenager, I explored other denominations, testing to see if what they believed was in tune with the bible, or if my own Lutheran doctine was completely in tune. As a young adult, I questioned the role of Christians in their church and in their lives, searching for the right fit for myself, listening to what God would have me do for Him.

One day, in my early 30s, I sat folding clothes in the middle of the livingroom floor and I felt what I can only describe as the Calling of the Lord. It was impressed upon me that I was being called to something higher. At that time, I was doing home daycare, having received an associates degree I was not really using, and recently left a management position for a fast food restaurant where I'd worked for more than 10 years. Within the year, I was enrolled in college classes to complete my goal of becoming an elementary teacher. Seven years later, attending part time while working outside the home, I graduated suma cum laude with my bachelors in education. I subbed for a year, which gave me valuable experience and enabled me to touch an uncountable number of lives. Now, I have my dream job-a fifth grade teacher in a Christian school where I can affect change in the lives of children and be fed daily on the Word of God.

I don't believe I ever had a conversion, but I know for a fact that I am working for Christ in my daily life. I witness for Him in everything I do, everywhere I go. I did not need a life changing experience to put me on the right track. I had a strong foundation, the same as my siblings. It's simply a matter of listening to His call, and responding appropriately.

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