It’s Yours Now

Like many others, I grew up in church. I was a “Southern Baptist” girl. I was raised in church by my grandfather and my uncle who picked my sister and I up to take us each Sunday. My sister and I were active in our church. We preformed sign language with our youth group, if there was an event, church service, youth retreat, we were always there. We desperately tried to get our father to get involved in church with us, at least watch us perform signing. That never happened. We prayed constantly, and I mean constantly for our father to get in church. And, well here’s a story that’s close to my heart….how I finally learned that God was listening and how I realized to “give it all to him.”

In 2001 our church had grown so much that there were people standing in the aisle’s and along the sides of the church pew’s all during service. They decided to build a new sanctuary to hold all of the people, which began in early 2002. Our youth group worked to help build. We took work schedule’s to adjust to school, jobs, etc. The day they brought the baptism pool in was the day before they planed to lay down carpet. So, after clean up before we left we sat down on the concrete floor of the new empty sanctuary. They gave out permanent marker’s and told everyone to pray, pray hard. If there’s something you want to give to God, be specific. Write it down on this concrete floor to be laid down forever. I went and sat next to the second window on the right side of the church. The one thing that came to mind immediately was my dad. As i prayed i wrote “Bryan Schrimsher, He is yours now, I’ve prayed for a long time. Please God get him in church. It’s yours now” followed by the date and my name. The first service we had in the church my father came and sat down on the pew next to “the window” where i left my prayer. He sat there for a year, before he moved to the opposite side of the church where he was then baptized. He’s been there ever since. It’s been going on 10 year’s this April. If that’s not an obvious answered prayer then I don’t know what else to call it?!

~Lindsey Ford