"Before I die I want to..."
Jan 18, 2024 by Sallie Dawkins
If you’ve read the books of my testimony (The Awakening a Christian Series), you know God used photography as a tool for healing and restoration in my life.
Every day I embraced the challenge to find and photograph “one good thing.” Being the “official photographer” for events and special occasions allowed me to be a part of things I would have otherwise shied away from.
As you might imagine, I probably have a bazillion photos. When I learned to create worship graphics with my photos I thought that was the greatest thing ever. But then, I discovered that the dimensions for worship graphics were exactly the same dimensions used for 4x6 photos… so I started printing the graphics and making handmade cards. Then, I discovered that I could order 4x6 postcards from those same graphics and it required a lot less work. Still, a lot of work, nonetheless. And that’s how I stumbled into entrepreneurship… creating and selling stationary products. It was a good fit for my personality. Every week for at least a dozen years I led a card ministry. God used all of these things to teach me to meditate on His word and “be still” to hear His voice. Sitting with a stack of cards and postcards each week as I asked God who needed a word of encouragement and what He would have me to say… well, that was the beginning of me learning to exercise my spiritual senses. It was how I learned about prophecy.
Today as I’m sorting stacks of photos, I came across this one from December 2015. I remember it like it was yesterday. There was a display on the grounds of Southwestern IL Community College in Belleville, Illinois, inviting students to finish the sentence, “Before I die I want to…”
There were so many good answers. I want to get married. I want to see the seven wonders of the world. I want to be famous. And then… I came to this place and it marked me in a profound way. “Before I die I want to travel… become rich… be saved.”
In that space of higher education, there was one human with great wisdom. “Before I die I want to be saved.”
If you don’t yet have a personal relationship with God, you can. Jesus Christ came to save us from the consequences of sin. He was sinless but sacrificed His life to pay the penalty for our sin. It was an exchange. Our sin, for His Righteousness. And this restores us back to Father God. When we invite Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, we are adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters. It’s a new life; a new way of doing things. Salvation means we are saved, healed, and delivered. It’s a process of ongoing revelation. The Bible is our guidebook. It’s the eternal word of God.
Do you long to know more? I’d recommend The Awakening Christian Series. It’s suitable for individual or small group Bible Study. It’s an international award-winning, bestseller.
Every day I embraced the challenge to find and photograph “one good thing.” Being the “official photographer” for events and special occasions allowed me to be a part of things I would have otherwise shied away from.
As you might imagine, I probably have a bazillion photos. When I learned to create worship graphics with my photos I thought that was the greatest thing ever. But then, I discovered that the dimensions for worship graphics were exactly the same dimensions used for 4x6 photos… so I started printing the graphics and making handmade cards. Then, I discovered that I could order 4x6 postcards from those same graphics and it required a lot less work. Still, a lot of work, nonetheless. And that’s how I stumbled into entrepreneurship… creating and selling stationary products. It was a good fit for my personality. Every week for at least a dozen years I led a card ministry. God used all of these things to teach me to meditate on His word and “be still” to hear His voice. Sitting with a stack of cards and postcards each week as I asked God who needed a word of encouragement and what He would have me to say… well, that was the beginning of me learning to exercise my spiritual senses. It was how I learned about prophecy.
Today as I’m sorting stacks of photos, I came across this one from December 2015. I remember it like it was yesterday. There was a display on the grounds of Southwestern IL Community College in Belleville, Illinois, inviting students to finish the sentence, “Before I die I want to…”
There were so many good answers. I want to get married. I want to see the seven wonders of the world. I want to be famous. And then… I came to this place and it marked me in a profound way. “Before I die I want to travel… become rich… be saved.”
In that space of higher education, there was one human with great wisdom. “Before I die I want to be saved.”
If you don’t yet have a personal relationship with God, you can. Jesus Christ came to save us from the consequences of sin. He was sinless but sacrificed His life to pay the penalty for our sin. It was an exchange. Our sin, for His Righteousness. And this restores us back to Father God. When we invite Jesus to be our Savior and Lord, we are adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters. It’s a new life; a new way of doing things. Salvation means we are saved, healed, and delivered. It’s a process of ongoing revelation. The Bible is our guidebook. It’s the eternal word of God.
Do you long to know more? I’d recommend The Awakening Christian Series. It’s suitable for individual or small group Bible Study. It’s an international award-winning, bestseller.
_w200_h/BookBrushImage53946(1)_12260348.png "Maggie's Legacy")