Story by Reuben Horst
<---My-Experiences-With-God--->
I've been raised as a christian and have had parents that were christians who had parents who were christians. The long list of christians on both sides of my family goes on a long way. To tell the truth, I do not know when it started. I do know that one of my great-grandfathers, or great-great-grandfathers, a man with I believe the same first name and last name as me (unless I'm thinking of the wrong side of my family), had to flee Germany during one of the World Wars because he was a christian.
At the age of two and a half, my family moved to Menno Haven Camp and Retreat Center near Tiskilwa, IL. During the nine years that my dad worked there, I had plenty of experience with God at this summer camp that I still go to every year.
It was when I was eight, I believe, when I was out in the field next to a wooden cross while my home-schooling group was doing the low-ropes course in the woods nearby (I was too young then), that I realized just how powerful God was. He created the entire universe from scratch. He created time itself. I was amazed at the revelation that I always knew but never really thought about.
Another time that effected my spiritual world was sometime later. Probably when I was about ten. Me and my dad were doing a special for our church, me on keyboards, my dad on guitar. It was a song called "You Are My Son", and it was the only good song on the whole album that my dad had from a band called Scarecrow and Tinmen. When we were just practicing around for it one day, my dad was sometimes singing, on and off. We were just practicing the instrumental parts, you know. Then we got to the chorus:
Pre-Chorus:
I love you my son
I love you my son
And I want to tell you that you’re on my mind
The funny things you say and do I love
I love that you’re mine
Chorus:
I know your name and I weep when you hurt
And I cheer when you win
Because you are my son
I will come when you callI will hear your prayers
And I will fight for my name
Because you are my Son
You are my son
My dad was singing. I looked back at him, expecting to see him singing, but he wasn't. I only looked back for a moment, so I thought my eyes or ears might've played a trick on my, but I thought hardly of it.
It was when I looked back at what happened later that say, that I realized that it must have been God singing. He sounded like my dad, and was singing when my dad should have been singing, but wasn't. What made me sure was that it was during the chorus of the song, which is first person from the point of view of God, whereas the versus are from the point of view of me, or anyone else listening to the song.
I still find it hard to believe that God sang to me that day. It seemed so weird that sometimes, actually quite frequently, I wonder if it really happened. I only looked back at my dad for a moment, it could just be a trick in my mind. But then again, maybe God was the one who put the trick there in the first place!
But anyway, over time I started reading books by christian authors and my amazement of God continued. It still does.
Over time things have gotten in between God and me, such as depression, pornography, and all of the rest of the usual temptations and barriers for teenagers. I'm actually currently not on talking terms with God, but I hope someday I return and have a feast with him.
God is good. God is actually great. God is actually totally wonderful and awesome. There's enough evidence to fill the universe. In fact, the universe itself is evidence. I love God, and there is nothing that will ever completely take away that love.
Praise God!
~Reuben/Arkatox
For her birthday this year, Erin asked readers to send her their personal tales of why they believe in a supernatural world. A couple times a week, some of those submissions will appear here as a series. All stories appear with the author’s permission. We encourage you to comment on the stories and to continue sharing your own! Stories can be posted on Erin’s Facebook Fan Page or as comments on her Blog. Join the discussion!
