My name is Laurie MacArthur. I was raised in Glenolden, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. My family and extended family went to church regularly and many of them called themselves Christians. At the age of five I asked Jesus into my heart too, and then again at twelve years of age…“just to be sure”.
As a child, I was very compliant, but by age sixteen I ran away with my boyfriend, Steve. Surprisingly, our parents allowed us to be married and we moved to Tucson, Arizona, where I completed my senior year of high school and Steve joined the Air Force.
From 1976 to 1984, we were stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Slowly, at first, I was drawn into the party scene until one day I came to my senses, or what was left of them. I began to recognize the fact that our two young children needed a fulltime mom. As was my habit through the years, I “recommitted” my life to the Lord and pressed on with life, never doubting my salvation.
In 1984, Uncle Sam sent our growing family of five to Grand Forks, North Dakota. What a culture shock! Nevertheless, I was glad for a change and looked forward to a fresh start. Even though friends told me what a good mom I was as I took my kids to church, taught Sunday School, and lived a decent life, inside I was unhappy and full of regrets which, in time turned to bitterness.
By 1993, our family had grown to eight and we bought our first home in Niagara, ND. New Testament Baptist Church in Larimore was close, so we started attending church there. We noticed some differences from our previous church. The King James Bible seemed to be the only Bible used, and the ladies always seemed to wear skirts. For months I had tried to study the NIV version, but it was like reading a story. It didn’t speak to me like I thought it should.
After five or six months of coming to church and hearing the preaching, I decided to read just the King James Version of the Bible for 1994 to see if there really was a difference. Immediately God’s Word began to speak to me personally, as I studied on my own and also checked out the passages that Pastor Shaffer preached from to see if they made as much sense at home as they did in church.
Soon it became evident that something wasn’t quite right and it began to occur to me that I did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Oh, I knew He was God’s Son, that I was a sinner, and that Jesus died on the cross to save sinners. Along with many of my friends and family, I could quote scriptures like, John 3:16 and Psalm 23. I prayed, read my Bible, went to church; surely those were actions of a saved individual. So why didn’t I have peace inside? I begged God to show me why not, and, more importantly, how to get it.
Finally, on April 20th, 1994, after much soul-searching, it came together for me. Trying to do things Laurie’s way or someone else’s way, and not the Bible way could never work. Just knowing I was a sinner wasn’t enough. Lots of people k now they are sinners and never do anything about it. Not until I saw my sin as so vile that Jesus had to die for me personally, then realizing that my sin was so awful that it separated me from God, could I call out in repentance and faith to a Saviour Who is fully capable of forgiving my despicable sin.
In the earlier professions, I had never repented or changed my mind about my sin because it was never that bad in my eyes. Trusting Jesus Christ to be my Saviour meant being willing to give up all my sin. I knelt and prayed, confessing my sin and asking for forgiveness. I asked the Lord to take that sin and told Him that I wanted Him to be Lord of my life. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought about my decision. I only cared about what God wanted.
When I told my family about my new found faith in Christ, they were skeptical. They really didn’t believe that I needed to be saved, but as they have watched my life since 1994, they have seen a difference in me. Praise God! They have seen my love for the Lord grow, as well as my faith in what He can do.
My love for my husband has grown too, and because God has been so merciful and forgiving to me, I can choose to forgive and not let bitterness over circumstances take control of me.
Life is not perfect, but with God’s Holy Spirit living in me, I have peace and joy that was never there before. I know the Lord is always there to guide me. I have seen Him work miracles in my life and the life of my family. His Word does not return void.
The scripture that I learned in childhood is a great encouragement and I’m grateful for my parents’ faithfulness in taking me to church so many years ago. God has done some wonderful things in my life and He is good….all the time.
2 comments:
What a blessing to hear your husband praise you and your changed life after salvation, tonight at church. He shared how he saw your life change and that helped lead him to Christ. What a great testimony! Thank you for your example Laurie. You are such a blessing!
You're such a special lady! I had the priviledge to spend alot of time at your home when I was younger and your testamony made a wonderful impression in my life. I watched you stay faithful and love God. Now we all have the pleasure of watching God bless your family! You and your husband stand out in my mind as a mighty testamony of how God can work if we put Him first. I love you!
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