I'm 12 years old and I'm on what very well could be my 800th hour of trying to save the Princess in Super Mario Brothers 3. For you younger folks, keep in mind that there was no Internet, Google, Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube which means short of having that one friend who got some underground gaming magazine with "secrets" to help you win, you pretty much had to figure stuff out on your own.
I'm getting frustrated - I'm doing the same thing I've always known. I'm switching it up a little bit here and there stomping on TWO turtles instead of one. I'm flying extra high when I got my raccoon tail hoping there was some special box in the sky that would give me ultimate powers. I tried, I failed. I tried, I failed. So frustrating....
And then it happened. I don't remember who it was - Although I wish I did, because a victory of this magnitude deserves recognition. But SOMEONE says to me "Hey, did you know you can squat down on one of the blocks and fall behind the bushes, then run real fast and there's a whistle that will take you to a warp world?" Ummmmmm....WHAT??!!!!
Where was this secret in hour 100, 200, 300, etc? I felt like I had wasted so much time doing the same thing over and over with no success. I thought to my 12 year old self "I wish someone had told me this earlier. I could have already beat the game by now if I had only known this short cut"
Right about now you're probably asking yourself what my personal victory with Super Mario Brothers has to do with anything. Or MAYBE you've actually gone all your life without knowing this secret and you're like "Are you kidding me?!! Honey, where's the Nintendo...I've got a Princess to save!" LOL.
Here's my point......
In life there will always be someone who has figured out a better way....a short cut if you will. Something that will keep you from going down a wrong road, something that will save you days, weeks, months, and even years of heartache and frustration. Let's just call that short cut their testimony. For me, the short cut I have to offer is having a relationship with God.
My testimony is simple;
I came from a broken home. Life was rough for a long time. I was sad, I was angry, I was broken. I made mistakes. I fell so many times. I hurt people - I lied, I cheated, I stole. I was unhappy and I wanted others to be unhappy with me. I looked for happiness in the wrong places - I found it for a short time in those "places" but as quickly as it came it went away. Plain and simple, I was lost.
Through the years I had many people offer me their "cheat codes" of life. I listened but didn't act - I chose to play the game the way I had always played it making only minor changes here and there. Truth is, I wish I had listened to them from the beginning. All those short cuts led to God, who I eventually found, but having that earlier in my life would have been amazing.
I finally decided to listen, and today I have a relationship with God that has helped me overcome so much. I'm not perfect - I still struggle. But I have someone who loves me unconditionally and accepts me for who I am and helps re-direct me when I go off course. He fills my heart with love and empties me of sadness, frustration, and anger. He's my "flute" - He whisks me off to a 'warp zone' and helps me skip over paths I don't need to waste my time on. He's the cheat code I want to pass along to you :)
One of my favorite songs is Amazing Grace - This verse chokes me up every time because it's so applicable in my life:
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see"
It's not about going to church, reading a bible, eating at Chick Fil-A, or volunteering at a shelter. It's about stopping right where you are, putting your faith in something you can't physically see or touch, and committing to having a personal relationship with God.
It really is that simple.....
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