Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt in haste: that thou mayest remember the day when thou camest forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
Remember the day… In five days, it’ll be twelve years to the day that I came forth out of the land of Egypt. That’s the day I got saved. I got born again. I passed from death unto life. I got regenerated. I got born from above. Bless His holy name! I remember the day. I remember almost everything about it. I can take you to the 12″ x 12″ tile, in the bathroom, in the parsonage, at the Bible Baptist Church, on Highway 77 outside of Odem, Texas that I bowed my head and from the bottom of my soul cried, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!”
I remember the numbness of mind the night before. I remember the man of God preaching about hell that night. I remember that uh-oh feeling when he asked, “Does the Holy Ghost live inside you?” I remember the doubt percolating into my mind as I breathed the words to myself, “I’m lost.” I remember waking up the next morning confessing to my wife that I was lost. I remember for the first in my life ever being certain about something. I remember the fake, the phony, the whitened-sepulcher full of dead man’s bones. I remember my wife telling me to ask the Lord to show me myself. I remember confessing again what I was. I remember her taking me by the shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes and saying, “No. Ask the Lord to show you what you are.” I remember asking the Lord to show me what I was.
I remember what God showed me when I got underneath the running water of that bath. I remember when God turned the lights on in my soul. I remember the darkness. I remember the terror. I remember the devils. I remember the emptiness. I remember the screaming. I remember the crying. I remember the horror. I remember my wife dressing me. I remember my wife dragging me to the car. I remember the swine running across my lawn. I remember my wife driving me to the preacher. I remember the shame. I remember Brother Janow. I remember Sister Rita. I remember Brother Biggs. I remember the praying and the praying and the praying. I remember the singing. I remember I must tell Jesus I must tell Jesus. I remember Preacher Allen on the phone at Cracker Barrel praying for me. I remember nothing happening. I remember I knew how to get saved. I remember knowing this was the only chance I was gonna get. I remember knowing it was now or never. I remember it was saved or madness.
I remember everybody was hungry. I remember the bathroom. I remember the huge mirror. I remember the wretch in front of that mirror. I remember the shame. I remember the disgust. I remember the tears. I remember I was a sinner, lost and on my way to hell.
Oh, but bless the Lord! Praise his holy name! Glory to God! Yes! Yes! Yes! I remember when God leaned all the way down from heaven and whispered in my ear, “But I still love you.” I remember knowing that God loved me and wanted to save me. I remember knowing what I had to do. I remember the descent down to my knees. I remember, “Lord, help me!” I remember my heart getting ripped out. I remember my face hitting the floor. I remember, “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!”
I remember the storm stopping. I remember “Peace be still.” I remember looking at that tile and thinking, “I just got saved.” I remember Brother Janow smiling. I remember hugging Brother Biggs. I remember SHOUTING! Yes. I remember the day that I came forth. I remember the day I was birthed in the family of God. I remember when I took my first breath as a child of God. And I want to remember it all the days of my life. It was the greatest day in my life. I met the Lord Jesus Christ.
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