There is a quote by A.W. Tozer that swims in my head regularly: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Tozer was so convinced of this that he also said, “We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.” Not only is what we think about God the most important thing about us, but it also shapes everything about us.

I had a birthday this week and I’ve been pondering my life as one does with another trip around the sun. This year also marks 30 years of my faith in Jesus. With all of this swirling around in my mind, it’s no wonder that I started thinking back on the role faith has played in my life.

As I let myself go deeper into this thought of what the last 30 years would have looked like without Jesus, I was in awe. I’ll just cut to the chase: Everything. Everything in my life would look different without faith in Jesus. I started walking with Jesus in college and every step after that is markedly different than the B.C. years of my life. And to be clear, as I looked back, my awe was in Jesus, not myself. He shifted everything. I was and am a beneficiary of His goodness.

Becoming a Christian early(ish) changed the trajectory of my life. Yes, accepting Him as my Savior secured my eternity in Heaven, but Jesus also radically changed my life on this earth. In my young twenties Jesus informed who and how I began to date; the dating pool I was willing to choose from and those who would be interested in me. What I called “fun” underwent a major overhaul. He exchanged my friends for other followers of Christ. Jesus set the criteria for who I married and the foundation of our marriage. The way I interacted with and taught my children would have looked totally different without Jesus. Jesus informed the way we’ve stewarded our finances. Our family’s entertainment is sifted through His hands. The rhythm of my day-to-day would be much different without Jesus. He’s guided my reaction to good news, bad news, heartache, and triumphs. All of it. Every aspect of my life would look different without Jesus.

Of course I’ve known this truth at some level, but I’d never really taken the time to analyze every detail of my life through the lens of the cross. I know life without Him would have been destructive and chaotic – but that life was never meant to be lived once He called my name.

This is not an exercise to “see how great my life is.” It’s not a boast of me at all. I was old enough and mishandled my life enough before Jesus to know what the last 30 years would have looked like without Him. It is for me, however, an exercise of way overdue gratefulness for Jesus taking me on a trip of a lifetime – a life lived with Him. The irony is that I put off Jesus in my teens because I was afraid saying “yes” to Him would sentence me to a boring life. How wrong I was. He knew that was a fear of mine and He has given me the gift of absolute joy living in His presence.

My life is not perfect, and I am under no delusion that I am perfect, just forgiven. Even walking with Jesus, I have not always exhibited Christ-like characteristics. For that, I take full responsibility and am contrite. Jesus lives in me, but sometimes I choose myself over Him. Sometimes I live to feed my flesh instead of my faith. That is a reflection of me, not of Jesus. May others see more of Him in me.

Accepting His invitation was my life’s best YES. It was not my good decision; it was His sacrifice. It wasn’t my righteousness; it was His. It wasn’t even that I was smart enough to choose Jesus; He was gracious enough to shed His blood for me. And it’s not that I’m special, but He treats me like I’m His favorite. Anything I’ve given up to follow Him has been more than worth it. All other ground is sinking sand.

Eugene Peterson said it beautifully: “The Christian life is going to God. In going to God Christians travel the same ground that everyone else walks on, breathe the same air, drink the same water, shop the same stores, read the same newspapers, are citizens under the same governments, pay the same prices for groceries and gasoline, fear the same dangers, are subject to the same pressures, get the same distresses, are buried in the same ground. The difference is that each step we walk, each breath we breathe, we know we are preserved by God, we know we are accompanied by God, we know we are ruled by God; and therefore no matter what doubts we endure or what accidents we experience, the Lord will guard us from every evil, He guards our very life.”

I’m so grateful for the past three decades and I look forward to every day with Him for eternity. I highly recommend taking time to ruminate on how Jesus has changed your life. And if you don’t know Him, His invitation is open to you. Whether you are a teen, young adult, well into adulthood, or you are eligible for all kinds of senior discounts, don’t let another minute of your life pass without Jesus. While you have breath, it’s not too late. You can pray this simple prayer: “Heavenly Father, I am a sinner, and I can’t save myself. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and He paid for my sins on the cross so that I can be with You for eternity in Heaven. And I believe You raised Him from the dead to give me life. When You look at me, You no longer see a sinner, but You see my debt has been paid by Jesus’ blood. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I receive Your forgiveness. Amen.”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Dear Lord, Thank You for pursuing Your children. Thank You for saving me. You have given me physical life and also life to the full. Not one thing is to my credit, it is all to Your glory. May I honor You with my life and repent quickly when I don’t. You are only good. I love You and I trust You. Maranatha! Amen.