This Is My Story - Jeff Forrey

THIS IS MY STORY

 JEFF FORREY

I did not grow up in a Christian home, but my one grandmother did go to a small country church. I remember hearing the gospel during a Vacation Bible School one summer: We are sinners and in order to have a relationship with God, we have to trust in Jesus. I was intrigued by what I heard, but without anyone to answer questions, life continued for me as it had been … until I got into high school.

During my junior year in high school, I regularly sat with a couple of friends at lunch. Occasionally, another classmate, David, would also sit with us. I thought he was so weird! He would come to the table, carrying the biggest Bible I’d ever seen on top of his textbooks. Although I cringe to think about it now, I teased David mercilessly. My friends joined in the teasing. David was bothered enough by the teasing, he asked for advice from the area director of a high school ministry that he attended. That man, John, suggested they pray for me and my friends–and that’s what they did.

Sometime later, David told us about a white water rafting trip the campus ministry was hosting. One of my lunch buddies, Mike, loved rafting, so he eagerly signed up for the trip. From that point onward he started to attend the campus ministry meetings that were held each Wednesday evening in parents’ homes. Although David had invited me numerous times, I always said no to going to these meetings. However, one week Mike asked if I could tell him how to get to the house where the meeting was going to be held. I knew where the house was, but I honestly couldn’t remember the names of the country roads to tell Mike how to get there. So I told Mike to pick me up and I’d direct him to the house. 

I went to the meeting, and like my Vacation Bible School experience, I was intrigued. We talked about issues relevant to high school students–using the Bible! I was interested enough in the meetings that I started to attend them each week. Eventually, they started talking about a ski weekend in the Pocono Mountains. Although I had never skied before, I really wanted to go on this trip. My parents agreed to let me go.

While on the ski trip, I once again heard the gospel. I was reminded that all of us have to deal with being sinners. We resist God, if not vocally, at least practically, by ignoring Him. We instinctively want to live our lives on our own terms. But that offends our Creator, who made us for His purposes. Our disregard for the Lord puts us at odds with Him, and we are helpless to change that situation. If that is going to change, God Himself would need to step in. And He did! He sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sins through His death and resurrection. All we need to do is trust in Jesus for the salvation that we could never have on our own. During that ski trip, I trusted in Jesus to be my Savior. I praise God that He hears the prayers of His people–and for the love He has shown us in Jesus.