The God of Every Man

by Yahooskin F.

I am an American Indian woman from the Northern Paiute Tribe located near Benton, California. Many people are surprised to learn that I do not have a life history filled with drugs, alcohol or prison. As a young girl, I decided that I would not allow these things to control my life.

Problems at home

In the summer of 1960, I was six-years-old and living in Fresno, California. At this time, my folks were having marital problems. Mama wanted Dad to stop drinking and dating other women. Their arguing grew each day.

One morning, Mama woke my brother and me up with a big smile. ‘Get up, get dressed,’ she said. ‘We’re going to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.’ I said to Mama, ‘Will I ever see Dad again?’ Mama assured me I would, one day.

We arrived at the Bishop bus station, where Grandma was waiting. As we traveled the hot, dusty 55 miles to her ranch, Grandma kept saying, ‘Watch for your Grandpa. He’ll be gathering the cattle.’ With my grandpa, I always felt secure and loved. Grandpa would often sit and have tea parties with me. I could run barefoot and eat all the watermelon I wanted. I even got to attend summer cow camp in the mountains and sleep under the stars.

Grandpa’s God

As time passed, I began to worry about my mom. She eventually divorced Dad. Over the next 11 years, we encountered very hard times due to Mama’s alcoholism and bad choices in relationships with men.

I kept telling myself to hang on, hoping things would get better. Grandpa would listen to my worries and tell me to ride my horse over the hills and talk to God. Many times I cried out to God.

A genuine change

I decided to never do the things my parents had done. My husband, Howdy, on the other hand, was a wild-mannered rodeo cowboy who willingly embraced the night life.

One night, Howdy was reading his Bible and told me that God had spoken to him about his future. As he eagerly read the verses to me, I realized that he really believed the Bible. I told him to wake up and quit being stupid. Howdy then explained to me that he had finally found something in life that was real, and would follow Jesus with or without me.

After Howdy surrendered his life to Jesus, he quit drinking and staying out all night. I was really glad to see this, but was still quite unsure about how long this would last. After work one day, Howdy arrived to drive me home. As he walked toward me, I saw a light all around him. I knew then that the change in him was genuine and that it would last.

Soon after that, I found myself wanting what Howdy had. I decided to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. My life changed completely. I experienced peace. I was able to forgive my parents.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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Further Reading:
Just The Way You Are
A Cross on the Moon