Journey to Salvation: Part One

Well, I promised a few weeks ago that I would begin a series of blogs that would explain my journey with the Lord, and I hope and pray you will be encouraged in some way by my testimony…

Did you ever feel like you had it all?

Like you were in control of everything in your life and you didn’t need anything more?

That’s how my husband and I felt before the day our baby girl was traditionally baptized, when she was just a few weeks shy of three months old. We took her to an emergency room because she had a fever--we thought she would be diagnosed with some sort of infection, we would get an antibiotic, and we would go home. As we waited in the emergency room for test results, she stopped breathing. They summonsed the trauma team, and a sound rang out throughout the entire hospital that I will never forget. Suddenly a nurse physically took her from my arms and ran her to the trauma room.

During the minutes that followed, my husband and I felt like we were in the middle of a horrible nightmare. What was going on? We just came for an antibiotic—we wanted to go home.
During those minutes that felt like hours, I don’t even think I prayed. Up until that moment, I had no frame of reference to even try to call upon the Lord for help.

Once they got her stabilized and we could see her –the tiny, 11 pound baby girl that began her day in a beautiful white baptismal gown, was now on a ventilator with multiple wires and many pieces of medical equipment connected to her.

Again, I don’t recall even trying to utter a single word of prayer.

That moment and the days that followed changed a part of who my baby girl is, and in turn, changed me as a person in more ways than I ever imagined possible….

Maria and her family reside in NE Ohio. She and her husband are the parents of two. Their daughter is a person with hemipelegic cerebral palsy. Because of her experiences, Maria provides parent-to-parent support for families involved in her local early intervention program. Her gift for writing has come directly from the Lord since her daughter’s diagnosis. She writes a monthly column entitled, “Special Parents, Special Kids” for the Mahoning Valley Parent magazine in Ohio; and has expanded into Parent magazines in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She is also a contributing author at www.mommiesmagazine.com. Maria is very passionate about getting the word out to special parents that they are not alone in their journey of raising their special child; and that they were chosen by God to parent their children. Maria welcomes comments and communication as well as invitations for her to speak to your group.

Maria's Thoughts As A Newborn Christian

Why me? Why did He choose me to love? Why does He think I’m worthy of His love? Why does He think I’m qualified to fulfill His purpose for my life?All the feelings of unworthiness, guilt, shame—have all been washed away—washed away with the blood Jesus shed for me. Me? Are you sure about me, Lord? Do you know what I’ve done? Do you know my past? Do you know some of my thoughts? Do you know the people I’ve hurt in the past? Do you know my sins?
He does. The beauty of the Lord is that He knows it all—He knows the dreams of your heart– He wants you to release the secrets of your being that have been holding you back for so very long. He wants to show you that through His love and His mercy, you can reach the desires of your soul—no matter where you’ve come from, or what you’ve done. He has no agenda. He will wipe the slate of your life clean.

Go ahead—Listen. That quiet voice you think no one knows about—that voice inside you that guides you to do the right thing no matter what…the voice that says “ You can do it!” , even though you’ve never tried such a thing before…The same voice that overrides your natural mind; the logical part of you.

Go ahead. Shhh. Listen.

That’s Him. That’s Jesus.

Let Him in. Let Him hold your heart and embrace your soul. Focus on Him and only Him—don’t wait…try it now. Shhhh.

Allow His love to take over and hold you like no other. He will keep you safe and take you step by step. Surrender your soul to His unending love and mercy. Listen to His call for your life. He’ll teach you things about yourself you never knew. He’ll show you gifts and talents that have been waiting patiently inside you—the more you listen, the more you will discover. Take that step. Let Him fill you up with His joy-His peace-and His unending love—It’s all there for you. Yes, you. Go ahead—don’t keep Him waiting any longer.

Maria and her family reside in NE Ohio. She and her husband are the parents of two. Their daughter is a person with hemipelegic cerebral palsy. Because of her experiences, Maria provides parent-to-parent support for families involved in her local early intervention program. Her gift for writing has come directly from the Lord since her daughter’s diagnosis. She writes a monthly column entitled, “Special Parents, Special Kids” for the Mahoning Valley Parent magazine in Ohio; and has expanded into Parent magazines in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She is also a contributing author at www.mommiesmagazine.com. Maria is very passionate about getting the word out to special parents that they are not alone in their journey of raising their special child; and that they were chosen by God to parent their children. Maria welcomes comments and communication.

Thank You

Two simple words stated about the most powerful moment in history.

The moment when all of our sins were nailed to a cross-- always to be forgiven.

Simple, yet profound words stated by my eight year old son.

He loves the Lord, is curious about learning more about the Bible, and prays directly from his heart to God.

He viewed a portion of “The Passion of the Christ” at church Easter morning, and to my surprise, he didn’t ask questions, and more importantly, he didn’t question the power of that moment. Then almost a week later, he decided to draw this simple picture to respond to that moment:




He didn’t ask why, he didn’t try to understand every detail leading up to that moment, but in his pure, sweet mind he just simply wanted to say thank you.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we adults could just let that moment be an opportunity to express our gratitude to Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins, and not allow our minds to over-analyze it?

Why do our minds make it so difficult?

He loved us enough to have his only son die for our sins.

We should be forever grateful.

Ah, what peace would come to all of us if we could make a conscious effort of choosing to not complicate the fact that He did it just for us…

Thank you.

Such wise words from such a small boy.

It’s really that simple.

Maria and her family reside in NE Ohio. She and her husband are the parents of two. Their daughter is a person with hemipelegic cerebral palsy. Because of her experiences, Maria provides parent-to-parent support for families involved in her local early intervention program. Her gift for writing has come directly from the Lord since her daughter’s diagnosis. She writes a monthly column entitled, “Special Parents, Special Kids” for the Mahoning Valley Parent magazine in Ohio; and has expanded into Parent magazines in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She is also a contributing author at www.mommiesmagazine.com. Maria is very passionate about getting the word out to special parents that they are not alone in their journey of raising their special child; and that they were chosen by God to parent their children. Maria welcomes comments and communication. If you would like to talk to her, please e-mail her. Our e mail address is in our profile. We also love comments!