The Christian Life is a Joy, Anonymous

Although I was born and raised in a very religious family, at nineteen years old I realized that the words I'd heard all my life, “Christ died for your sins,” were becoming real to me. I experienced the joy of receiving these words.

I left home to attend a religious college at the age of eighteen. Although I wanted to pursue a career in Christian education, I also wanted in that first year to experience the freedom of being away from home and hoped to do at least some things I knew my parents wouldn't approve of. Fortunately, my conscience had been trained to such an extent that it was impossible. At the beginning of my second year, I began to look around and realized that not only in others, but in myself as well, there was a great deal of hypocrisy. I went to church every Sunday and attended religious instruction classes, yet outwardly, I appeared to be living a holy lie, and inwardly I was beginning to realize I was full of sin and had little or no experience of the joy of the Christian life. At this point, I met some of the dear believers in the local church in Austin. From what I witnessed in their living, there was no double standard. They proclaimed their love for Christ and lived a life that expressed Him and had a joy I could not understand. I longed for this kind of living, but felt powerless to accomplish it on my own or in my environment.

Then I read a copy of the The Normal Christian Life, by Watchman Nee. I devoured it immediately, especially the first chapter about the blood of Christ. How could I have been a “Christian” so long and not realize the effectiveness of the Lord's precious blood? I prayed soon after receiving that book. It was not a religious prayer, but one borne out of a realization that the blood that was shed on the cross was indeed for my sins, the very sins I was becoming so aware of. Not only that, but the work was complete! I had no need to worry about these sins anymore. The weight of those sins was lifted off. I felt light and joyful. For the first time, I realized what it meant to “rejoice in the Lord!” Rejoicing was no longer something to do at a set time, on a cue, but now spontaneously I rejoiced, sang, and enjoyed the freedom of having my sins taken from me.

I also fell in love. I fell in love with the very Savior who took those sins upon Himself. He became so dear to me. He was no longer just a name, but a person, a very real Person. I also discovered I could enjoy Him, have fellowship with Him, and even spiritually touch Him. The joy I discovered when my sins were lifted from me has deepened during the last 25 years. Everyday, I can rejoice in the forgiveness of my sins. Even more so now, though, I have been enjoying a deepening and closer relationship with Him through His Word and through the ministry of the Word. My eyes have been opened to see God's eternal purpose and my heart has been stirred up to pursue after His goal, His desire and His heart, which is to gain a people to express Him and represent Him on the earth. I have discovered that the Christian life is indeed a life of joy.