The Hour I First Believed

Spirituality Column #252
September 6, 2011
Current in Carmel – Westfield – Noblesville – Fishers
(Indianapolis north suburban home newspapers)

The Hour I First Believed
By Bob Walters

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.
– 2nd stanza, “Amazing Grace”

“The hour I first believed” was 10 years ago this Labor Day weekend.

Specifically it was Sept. 2, 2001, sitting in a Sunday church service for basically the first time in 30 years. Dave Faust, who later baptized me, and Russ Blowers, who taught me until his death in late 2007, were sharing the East 91st Street Christian Church pulpit that day, with Russ talking gently about Jesus, faith, hope and love.

It was Russ’s 50th anniversary with his beloved congregation. Dave, a gifted preacher, moved on within a year to be a college president, where he continues to raise ensuing generations of Christian ministers at Cincinnati Christian University.

I sat in the back row with mystifying tears rolling down my cheeks; tears that made no earthly sense, but tears that welled up from deep in my heart with the full cooperation of my mind. Before that, I didn’t know what I believed. Today “belief” doesn’t adequately cover the spiritual and intellectual enormity of a life in Christ.

It – Christian life – is not what I expected. It’s not the limiting, rules-following, holier-than-thou, faith-groveling, meek, mind-numbing existence centered on a guilt fetish that I had imagined. The Christian life is an inexplicable hybrid of empowerment and humility; of intellect and emotion; of binding love, and freedom to choose what binds us; of fear, and freedom from it. It is comfort in hard times, courage in harder times, and the excitement of knowing that every day is new when our steps point to Jesus Christ.

I can’t explain my conversion. Jesus didn’t zap me where I sat. Nobody hit me over the head with a Bible. The Holy Spirit didn’t send me into convulsions and God didn’t rend a single curtain. I just knew that whatever awakened within deserved and required my full attention. That it was right. That it was important. That it was true.

And that it was good. Not just any good, but God’s Good. The real deal.

Humanity is bigger, life is better and eternity abounds when they are boldly defined in Christ. I am thankful beyond words for God’s faithfulness, the Holy Spirit’s presence, and the amazing grace of Jesus Christ.

I truly needed it – we all do – and am happy to share it. Jesus is Lord. Amen.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) was in church that day because his then-13-year-old son Eric had randomly wondered a couple weeks earlier at a family dinner, “How come we don’t go to church?” So they went. True story.