He Knew All About Us

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed, and in your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them (Psalm 139:16 NKJV)

I am a firm believer that the Bible is the infallible word of God. It is all truth. So what is God saying to us in that verse?

Simply this: before we were conceived in our mother's womb, He (God) knew all about us. What we would look like, who our family would be, and how our days would turn out.

I have learned down through the years that God puts us in the right place at the right time with the right people.

When I was 13 years old, I started working on a dairy farm at which time I didn't have a clue what Christians were. I found out later the people who owned the farm were Mennonites and went to church every Sunday. Not only that, but during the summer they had two weeks of what they called "Vacation Bible School."

My boss so desperately wanted me and some of my siblings to go with them to this event, and we figured it would be better than sitting at home with nothing to do. So a few of us went with them on the first night - we loved it so much that we went all ten nights. So began my experience of getting to know Christians.

My boss knew I was raised in a family where much alcohol was consumed. I remember him saying to me, "If you don't want to become an alcoholic, don't take the first drink." Since I already had my first drink i twas too late for that. At least that's what I thought.

If you remember from one of my other stories, I mentioned how I opened up the door and allowed anger to come in and camp out inside of me. Well, by that time the anger was so strong it took away any desire I could have had to be like these Christian people I was getting to know.

Did you ever notice how anger and hatred that you have toward someone can drive you to become just like them, no matter how determined you might be to not let that happen? It happens so fast, without you having any knowledge of who you are becoming.

I was becoming my dad.

I started fighting more in school and some older people were buying alcohol for me. I formed a little street gang in Coatesville and we would fight other gangs. Fighting was something my dad my older brothers would do quite frequently.

Anger and hatred were driving me in the wrong direction - who was I and what was I becoming? I didn't like me at that time and I didn't have the ability to like anyone else.

Fortunately, my story didn't end there.