I have a concern for women who are in the church or who have some kind of church association and yet are not Christians. You see, that was my story. For the first forty-two years of my life I played the part but I really did not have a personal relationship with the Lord. I was very involved in the work and life of the church – I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian grade school, graduated from a Christian high school, graduated from a Christian college, taught 7th, 8th and 9th grade English and Bible in a Christian school, met my husband in church, taught Sunday School and Girl’s Club, sang in the choir and a women’s trio – I tell you all this just to show you that church was a big part of my life. And yet, I felt there was something missing.
My husband and I would often go to Grand Rapids and as we drove south on U.S. 131 returning to Kalamazoo, there was a great big billboard – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31)” I did not like that billboard. It bothered me because I thought “there’s a place for everything and that’s not the place.” Deep down I fretted about it because I didn’t know what it meant. I had known that verse for years. I knew about Jesus and I even knew what it meant to be saved – that meant you didn’t go to hell, you went to heaven. I knew all that intellectually, but I didn’t know what it meant to personally believe.
One day a neighbor and good friend of mine came over and had a little gospel tract called The Four Spiritual Laws. She was singing in a chorus at her church and had to hand these out, so she asked me if she could practice on me. I said that would be ok but as she started reading through the tract I became very uncomfortable. Well, I handled this like I did a lot of things – I just kind of clowned around and we got to laughing and nothing ever came of it. But after she had gone I noticed that she had left that tract on my table. I didn’t throw it away but put it on the top shelf of the cupboard.
It was about this time that I started to feel more and more troubled about whatever it was that was missing in my life. I had never really had a prayer life but one day I knelt down on my knees and said, “Dear God, give me an emotional experience.” It seemed that people who were truly saved had emotional experiences so maybe that was what was missing. One day God answered that prayer, but not at all in the way I thought He would!
…It was the spring of 1972 and I was cleaning out the top shelf of my cupboards – you know, the place where you put all the stuff you never use – and I found this tract. Looking for an excuse to quit what I was doing, I took that tract and went into the living room and sat down and started to read it and it was called The Four Spiritual Laws. I don’t recall exactly what the tract said, but I do remember there was a picture of a train. The engine was called FACT, the car was FAITH and the caboose was FEELING. The tract talked about how the train could run with or without the caboose but it would never run without the engine. The FACT is that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. He paid the price for sin on the cross and has offered the gift of salvation to anyone who will believe. FAITH is our trust in God and His Word and accepting that free gift of salvation.
That was it! That was what I was missing in my life. I had the head knowledge but had never personally accepted Jesus and my Lord and Savior. I finally understood what that billboard meant – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Trust in Him personally and receive Him. Accept His gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins and experience the joy that only comes through a personal relationship with Him. I had spent my entire life trying to earn my way into heaven only to realize that there is nothing I can do apart from accepting His free gift.
Well, on that day I not only spring cleaned the cupboards in my kitchen, but I received the gift of salvation – God’s love, grace and forgiveness – and spring cleaned my heart. And I pray that as you “spring clean” this year, you too will realize the love of God and receive the free gift that He has to offer.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Fran VanderArk and her husband Jack currently reside in the Kalamazoo area. Fran was able to share her story at last year’s Candlelight Dessert at Calvary.
