Distant Warrior

I am new here and have a story I feel I must share. I don't know where else to share such a story without being ridiculed so I thought I would do so through a forum such as this where a degree of anonymity exists.

I was born and raised in a Christian family that regularly attended the Salvation Army. I praised and worshipped God and studied the bible intently. I was obsessed with learning and practicing Gods word. A warrior for Christ. However this only lasted until I was about 11 years old, at which time I went astray.

My mother was unfaithful to my father and got involved with a group that turned to chrime. My father was accused of molesting my sister. We were sent to live with our Christian grandparents while both were in jail. In their care we were beaten and abused regularly. I prayed to God to make the beatings stop and protect me and my sisters, but the abuse just kept coming. We went to the authorities who did nothing, in that day, beating children was acceptable. I questioned my faith and began to drift away as I felt God clearly did not care about me if he could allow this to happen.

Without God I became a different person. Greedy, self rightous, arrogant. All the while I felt something was missing. I turned to alcohol, drugs and pornography. I became angry and violent in far too many situations. I was unstable in employment and relationships.

At a certain time I felt I needed religion back in my life. I studied many religions in quest for one that suited my beliefs other than Christianity. I still denied Christ and felt he betrayed me and was not worthy of my worship. I found the concepts of Budhism and Wicca to be interesting and wanted to know more, when a friend recommended a metaphysical bookstore in the area. After reading some more I had decided that the Wiccan faith was worth persuing.

On my way to the store I felt as though God was telling me not to give up on him. I screamed out "If you care so much you better give me a sign. You gave up on me decades ago".

Once in the store I looked at a number of books on Wiccan studies when I felt myself drawn to a display cabinet that held hand made jewelry. Inside the cabinet were a number of rings and pendants that held stones (mostly crystals). I was drawn to one in particular and asked to see it. As I looked into it I saw a reflection in the crystal. The reflection looks like a man in a white robe (as viewed from the side). He appears to be standing on the waters edge reaching towards the heavens. A ray of sunlight seems to shine down from the heavens, in the ray of light floats a cross.

I was amazed at this but still did not accept this and continued to question my faith. I did not accept Christ back into my life at this time, rather, I chose to not commit to the Wiccan faith while I determined what this meant. I had trouble accepting it for what it was. God had given me a sign that he was there and still cared. Yet still I denied him.

About a month after this occurred I was approached by an angel while I slept. He was my dead father in law who died well after my divorce. He had died a slow painful death of cancer. We never did like each other, so never spoke nor saw each other after the divorce. He said God had asked him to come to me and said he was allowed to ask that I bring a message to the family. He said "this message is important to you too, but must be shared for you to believe." Then he continued by saying "First I want to show you something, come with me".

Instantaneously, we were surrounded by a beautiful garden. He was a gardener himself who always maintained beautiful flowerbeds. We walked through this garden as he talked about how hard he had worked on it and proudly displayed his work. We spent what seemed like a day in heaven while he showed me around what he called home. The experience of the day could fill a book that I may yet write.

At the end of the day he said "It's time for you to go back, but you must take this message. Tell my family I am doing fine, I am pain free and love being here. Tell them I love them and that I miss them and am waiting for them." He then raised his hands in the air and said "but tell them there is no need to rush". We both laughed at this

I asked him how they would know the message was legitimate. He said "Tell them they will know that it is me by the shirt I am wearing." He was wearing a salmon pink shirt that personally I don't think he would have ever been seen in. He was a man's man and would never have worn a shirt like this. "You have to go now" he said and reminded me, "bring this message to the family, it is important to you."

With that I awoke from my sleep.

It took month's to find the courage, but on Christmas Eve, it felt like the right thing to do. I called my ex-wife and told her this story. She seemed a little stunned, and couldn't tell me anything about this shirt he was wearing. She was not involve with the burial process at all as she wanted her last memory of her father to be one of him alive.

She called her mother and called me back. Her mother had chosen a new grey suit and a salmon pink shirt for him to be buried in. We cried for a while at this amazing gift that I was so fortunate to recieve. I cried alot afterward over my guilt for denying christ. I still cry everytime I think about it.

God has been with me all along and obviously loves me enough to try so desperately to reach me and make me a believer once again. I still find it hard to believe he would go so far for one man like me. I question if he has a higher purpose, but suspect he will tell me what it is, when the time comes.

In the meantime I can only accept that Gods love is truly unconditional. He was with me all the time. It was I who denied him.

This warrior is found. I'm coming home.


DW

NoDoubt

Powerful testimony

violet

Distant Warrior

I think this should work if you click on it...

Click on the thumnail in the link for a larger view.


http://photoshare.shaw.ca/messages/v...iew/page/1/15/


What do you think? What do you see?


DW

violet

NoDoubt

I don't see what you described, but it sure looks nifty

Distant Warrior

Whispers?

God has done everything except hit me over the head with a brick at this point. Other than meeting me face to face and shaking my hand while introducing himself, he's done about all he could possibly do to make me believe he loves me.

I used to think that there was no God. When you died you were simply a source of protein for worms and vegetation.

Now I know for an absolute FACT there is a heaven, there is an afterlife, and there is a God who loves us unconditionally. It's a beutiful and glorious gift to have this knowledge.


DW

Mewn

So sweet
God is awesome. He wont never let us go because He loves us unconditionally and He is a faithful God.

Boanerges

As one prodigal to another welcome home brother - many blessings in His Name Larry