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by Joani Lane
I grew up in Sacramento, California in a family of five. We went to church, but I found it boring and irrelevant to my life and family. When I was a teenager, my parents divorced and I deeply felt the loss of a father figure in my life. I had no use for religion at the time and found new gods-sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
I was fifteen when I decided I wanted to be a singer. My idol was Robert Plant, (of Led Zeppelin fame), and I made it a personal goal to meet him, thinking that he would somehow be a key player in the making of my career and destiny. In a culture that makes gods out of entertainers, this seemed like a reasonable goal to me at the time.
I worked for Tower Records for several years and moved to New York City in 1982 to work in Tower's first Manhattan store. I met many top musicians in New York, but the closest I could get to Robert Plant was lunch with the VP of Atlantic Records.
The band I was singing with was going nowhere. I ended up depressed and burnt out in all my alternative methods of seeking happiness and finding none. The frequent thoughts of suicide I entertained were overridden only by my desire to obtain my "goal."
I returned to California and began to search for the meaning of life. I studied Eastern religions and metaphysics and became quite zealous in my quest to attain the high spiritual degree of the so-called ascended masters. Christians I knew were telling me that Jesus was the only way to God, but I dismissed them as being narrow-minded and went about continuing to do things my own way.
One day I met a family from London who were visiting California. They invited me to come to London and stay with them there, to pursue my career in the UK This seemed like a good opportunity to get closer to my "goal," and to distribute my demo tapes to London-based record companies. But after some time in London I had to face the fact that my demos were full of songs that were not what the record companies were looking for.
I decided to try getting professional advice from Robert Plant after a musician acquaintance gave me Robert's telephone number. Yet every time I telephoned, all I got was an answering machine. That is when I chose to go to his house and hand him my tape face to face.
It was in the spring of 1986 when I left London for Wales and found an opening in the stone wall that surrounded Robert Plant's stately home. I stepped inside and sat down, and as I looked at the pink flamingo statues in the garden, I began to wonder (hello?) if I had gone too far pursuing a ridiculous "goal."
Was I really willing to go to the door and make a fool out of myself? Did I really need anything from this person? The answer to those questions came quickly, as a car suddenly came from the garage and headed straight toward me. I hadn't realized I was so near the driveway and I hid as best as I could behind a bush, hoping to God that I wouldn't be discovered trespassing. I wasn't a stalker, and I certainly didn't want to go to jail for the sake of a music career or an idol!
Not only was I relieved when the car passed me by and exited the property, but I quickly exited the property as well. It was in this most pitiful moment, with all my plans for my life coming to an abrupt halt, that I first sensed God speaking to me. I had begun to read the Bible in those days out of curiosity, but at that moment the Bible was no longer just a book and Jesus was no longer just a historic figure.
Jesus said to me, "I am the Man you have been seeking! This man does not care for you and will not help you, but I do, and I have, since the beginning of time. Come to Me! I have a plan for your life, and it's good." In short, He was saying, "Get a life, girl! I'm it!" So even though I was afraid of the all-or-nothing commitment and the cost of being a Christian, I decided to trust Him (not religion, but Him). I've been following Him ever since, and He has most definitely proven Himself trustworthy!
The Bible is available to anyone who will dare to read and test it's words, and I encourage you to do so! Do not discount the claims of Jesus Christ just because the popular culture has forgotten them. Think for yourself. He has the words of eternal life and wants to give that life to you because He loves you! Life is short here on earth. Do you know for sure what will happen to you when it's over?
I never did get that recording contract I was looking for (not yet anyway), but I got something better. I got a LIFE, and His name is JESUS!
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.
If you would like to know more about Joani Lane, visit her homepage.