* Karen Greenhill

 Salvation

I Didn’t Know It, But God Knew Of Me Way Before I Knew Of Him.  After I Was Born, I Was Dutifully Baptized And Christened, Mostly Because Of My Paternal Grandparents.  This Event Happened At My Grandparents’ Church.  Shortly Afterwards, We Moved Away From My Grandparents, And Away From God, It Would Seem.

I Can Remember Going To Church With My Grandparents When I Would Visit Them.  My Best Friend’s Family Invited Me To Go To Church With Them, Too.  And That Was The Extent Of It, Until We Moved To An Area Of The Country Where Going To Church Was Expected.  And We Went To Church, As Expected, But That Didn’t Last More Than A Few Weeks.  Again, We Moved Away From God.

During Those Years, I Did Experience Some God-Like Moments, Things That Occurred That Definitely Got My Attention.  I Instinctively Knew Who Was Responsible For It, But I Did Not Understand Why Or Recognize It For What It Was, A Calling Me Out By Name.  Repeatedly.

It Wasn’t Until After The Birth Of My Daughter That I Started To Pay Attention.  Big Attention.  My First Time To See That Sweet, True Miracle Got My Attention.  In Spite Of All I Had Done In The Past, He Gave Me The Most Beautiful Gift I Had Ever Seen.  I Knew He Was Real And I Knew He Loved Me.  Unconditional Love.  That’s What That Gift Taught Me.  His Love For Me Taught Me How To Love My Baby.  And The One After That And The One After That.