The Sunday morning sun shone in jeweled tones through the stained glass windows of the church, illuminating the sanctuary with a beautiful, heavenly glow. My nine-year-old-little-girl legs swung slightly as I rhythmically touched the toes of my white, patent leather shoes together. The pastor’s sermon had seemed like a long one that day. I was getting a little tired of sitting still, and my stomach was certainly ready for a plate of the scrumptious Sunday lunch my grandmother always had waiting for us after church. And just as I was wondering what my grandmother had made for dessert, the organist began to softly play a hymn as the pastor spoke words of invitation to come to Christ for salvation. As a regular attendee, I was accustomed to this ending part of the service. Sitting near the front, I could see the pastor clearly as he talked to the congregation. I had heard his words at the close of a service many times, but that day he surprised me. He, with a great degree of certainty in his voice, said to the people present, “Do you realize there are only two groups of people in the world?” Then he paused, as if allowing us time to think about his statement. The room was silent and still. My ears perked up, and I thought, “Now, wait a minute, Pastor. In my Social Studies class at school, we have learned about so many different kinds of people all over the world, and now you’re telling me there are only two groups?” I waited with bated breath for his next words. I couldn’t imagine what he was going to say. Then he spoke. “Yes, you heard me correctly, only two groups of people,” he continued. “Those who have asked Jesus to save them from their sins and who will spend eternity with Him in Heaven, and those who have not asked for salvation and will spend an eternity in Hell without Jesus.” Then he looked out across the gathered people and said, “Which group are you in?” And with that one very simple, straight-to-the-point question, the whole focus of my nine-year-old world changed. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was in the group that had never asked Jesus for salvation, and as I walked out of the jeweled-toned sanctuary that day into the bright summer sunlight, I knew I had to do something to fix the situation I was in. I wanted Jesus to save me. I wanted Him to forgive my sins and live in my heart. I wanted Him right beside me each day, and I wanted to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. But what to do? What were the right steps to take? What were the right words to say? I didn’t know. I was just a child. And not knowing what to do made me feel afraid.

That Sunday afternoon passed as usual, and at bedtime I spoke with my mother about my desire to trust Jesus as my Savior. She smiled, nodded her head, and said, “I’ll speak to the pastor and set up a time for you to meet with him. I’m sure he can answer all your questions.” I accepted her answer, but it wasn’t the answer I wanted. I didn’t want to wait. I wanted to be saved right then. My mother tucked me in, turned out the light, and left the room. I took a deep breath, pulled the covers up under my chin, and stared at the ceiling. The room was dark and still. I felt an aloneness and emptiness I couldn’t describe. Something was missing inside me, and that something was Jesus. I knew the emptiness wouldn’t go away until I asked Him to save me. So, I slipped out from under those covers, got down on my little knees beside the bed, and folded my hands under my chin. Then, I began to talk to Jesus. No script. No Bible in hand. No listing of verses I needed to know. I just talked to Jesus. I told Him I understood what sin was and that I knew whatever sins I had, He was able to forgive. I then asked Him to forgive those sins. I told Him I believed that He was God’s Son who had been crucified and died, but was resurrected to life on the third day. I told Him I believed He was in Heaven waiting for me to come be with Him someday and that I wanted to do that more than anything. I told Him I wanted Him to live in my heart, to be near me each day while I lived on this earth, and that when I died, I wanted to go straight to Heaven to be with Him forever. It was the dearest conversation I have ever had. It was straight from my heart to God’s ears. Full of love, thankfulness, childhood faith, and hope. I don’t know how long I stayed on my knees that night, but Jesus was so near that I could easily have stayed there talking to Him until daylight dawned.

The next few weeks saw the birth of my little brother, a long, difficult recovery for my mother, and my return to elementary school days. Many months passed before I actually got to speak with the pastor. As we sat down, I smiled at him and said, “Oh, I’ve already been saved, Brother Pickens. Let me tell you how it happened.” And I told the story of my conversation with Jesus that night on my knees beside the bed. When I finished my explanation, the pastor laughed and said, “Little girl, you didn’t need me to lead you to Christ. You took yourself right to His throne of grace and trusted Him to save you … and I know He did.” A few weeks later, I followed the ordinance of baptism and joined my name to the church roll of members. My faith was on fire. I told all my friends at school how they could be saved, and some of them were. I talked at home to my family about how much Jesus loved us and how He wanted us to trust Him to forgive our sins and take us to Heaven one day. What I didn’t know at that time was that my own mother had never had a salvation experience with Jesus. I just assumed that because she was my mother and took me to church, she had been saved a long time before. But that wasn’t true. And the more I talked at home about my faith in Jesus, the more she listened. One Sunday morning, the pastor opened the door to my Sunday School class and asked my teacher if he could speak
with me in the hallway. I got up out of my seat and followed him to the stairway. He was smiling. He said, “You remember when you told me how you had asked Jesus to save you?” I nodded. He continued, “Well, your mother stopped by my office this morning, and she has also asked Jesus to save her! She said she saw such a light inside you when you talked about your faith in trusting Jesus. It was a light and faith she knew she didn’t have. So now she’s trusted Jesus as her Savior, too, and she wanted me to come and tell you that you were the one who showed her the way.” I giggled with rapturous joy! What an unforgettable moment for a child!

I realize that for many of you reading this, my testimony of salvation in Jesus over 50 years ago will pale in emotional comparison with some other testimonies you are going to read. But if I can reach out to you and emphasize one thing from my own personal account, I want to emphasize the word simplicity. I was a simple nine-year-old little girl. My pastor asked one simple question, “Which group are you in?” I had a simple straight-from-my-heart conversation with Jesus on my knees beside my bed. But in all of that simplicity, Heaven moved earth, and a mighty gulf of safety was fixed between me and an eternity in Hell. My name was written in God’s Book of Life and can never be erased. Jesus became mine. I became His. I was instantly saved, sealed for a lifetime on this earth, and one day I’ll be delivered home to Heaven.

Please, my dear friend, never let your desire for salvation become overcomplicated in your mind. Run to Jesus and know that He is waiting to welcome you as His child, just as you are. Simply, confess that you are a sinner (1 John 1:9). Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5) and that he died on the cross to take away your sins (1 Peter 2:24). Believe that He was resurrected to life on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) and that He now lives to draw men, women, boys, and girls to Himself (John 12:32). Ask Him to wash your sins away and become the Lord and Savior of your life. Nothing is hindering you from trusting Jesus but your own hesitation. Please, don’t wait any longer. Walking through this life each day is a perilous journey. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, and eternity is a long, long time. Salvation in Jesus is the choice for here and now, and the choice for forever.

If you will, take just a moment to listen. Can you hear it? The echo of the simple question my long-ago pastor asked is still whispering through the passageways of time. When its sound reaches your ears, I can’t help but wonder, what your answer will be. “Which group are you in? Those who have asked Jesus to save them, or those who have not?” I made my choice for Jesus. Oh, I hope you will do the same!

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Lea Gillespie Gant is a children’s book author for Thomas Nelson Publishing, having written the children’s book Never Say Goodbye. She has written for various publications, including Heart of Flesh Literary Journal, The Saturday Evening Post, Broadview Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Deep South Magazine, East of the Web, and Agape Review.

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