Illinois

My (Michele Sommers) journey began 35 years ago when my parents baptized me as an infant and promised to raise me to know God and His powerful love. And that they did. As a child I loved going to church, singing songs, saying prayers and hearing stories about Jesus.

It wasn't until I left home and went to college that my unwavering faith was shaken, and I started to question the very foundation upon which I had laid my head. And just as my parents hated seeing me leave the house, I'm sure God was just as heartbroken. But He didn't give up on me. God put people, like Jeff, in my life to remind me that He was there. Not only did Jeff become my best friend and husband, he was the conduit to finding our church.

After searching for a church, Jeff's friend from Andrews University suggested the Burr Ridge Church. From the moment we stepped into that church, we were smitten. Grace oozed from that church. God's love was everywhere. From then on, we were in it for the long haul.

For years I continued to question and fight God's yearning for me to be with Him—to trust Him, and accept His grace. Then, one day our dear friend, Nikki (Nelson) Miller, asked me what it would take for me to feel comfortable enough to accept Him. It was then that I realized I had come to identify myself as a fence-sitter, not having to make a commitment. I became the sheep that refused to accept what my Shepherd wanted to provide for me. Instead of eating from green pastures and drinking from still waters, I was eating the brown, dried-up grass and practically drowning in a sea of fear and anxiety. It was then that I decided to make the commitment to accept Jesus as my personal Savior, my Shepherd to lead and comfort me and restore my soul.

But there was still a fear that lived inside me that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Why would I be afraid of making a commitment to a God who loves me? And then it all became clear when we went swimming in August with our son, Ethan. I told him to float on his back, and that I would hold him up and help him. But, he kept kicking and screaming and asking me to hold him. He just couldn't trust that if he stopped fighting he'd float, peacefully, and feel the calmness of the water around him. I felt so frustrated. I realized, then, that the frustration I felt was the same frustration God had felt with me for years. He'd given me reasons to trust Him. He'd put people in my life who encouraged me to float and feel the calmness of His grace. And so I chose to float. I chose to accept God's grace—to trust in Him, believe in Him and to share His love and mercy throughout the remainder of my journey.

Michele Sommers, member, Burr Ridge Church