Sometimes in life we can look back and pinpoint specific events or moments in which we knew life would never be the same. Other times we don’t realize the significance of an event until years later, and we can reflect on where we went from there.  I always say I was a little naive and didn’t recognize when significant things were happening.  As I’ve gotten wiser (older) I now try to be more aware of things as they happen. Some call that being in the moment or enjoying the moment. I call it paying attention! 🙂

How I Got Here

Today I want to share with you some of the most impactful events of my life, and share briefly how they affected me.  You may have some similarities in your life.  Here are My Top 7 Life-Changing Events.

1. The Sunday before or after Easter 1998 (I can’t remember exactly).  Although I grew up in the church and believed much of what I heard from the Pastors, and my minimum bible reading.  I consider this the day that I truly committed to following Christ.  I knew this was a life changing day, and I had known it for weeks as I went back and forth about “walking down the aisle” of the church I was attending.  I have not lived a perfect life since then, but the pendulum shift began, and it was a huge shift.
2. My wife’s 24th birthday.  This was another day I had been preparing for, and I was just as nervous if not more nervous than I had been when I committed to following Christ.  On this day, I proposed to my wife, and she said yes!  I remember what I was wearing, where we were at, what the people said when I got down on one knee, and the nervous words I could barely get out.  I truly wasn’t sure that she would say yes.  Once she did it was a joyous relief, and another pendulum shifting moment in life.
3. The days our 3 children were born.  I can honestly say there is no feeling like experiencing the birth of your child.  I can’t remember any specific moment that felt like that.  Witnessing that miracle brings out almost every possible human emotion.  We have had 3 pregnancies and 3 children, praise God, and the experience was just as great with each birth.  I really can’t even express what it is like in words.  I knew my life was changing, and I just thank God.
4. June 16, 2001.  The day we got married. The proposal on Stephana’s birthday was huge, but it became complete here.  I was still young (and not as wise) at the time, and may not have fully realized what it meant to commit to spending your entire life with someone.  However, it was one of the greatest feelings knowing somebody thought enough of me to make the same lifelong commitment.  I remember not being sure of having enough money to pay for everything, but knowing nothing was going to stop us from getting to that date, at that church, and saying I do!
5. March 28, 1992.  This was the day we won the Basketball State Championship for my high school (when there was only one champion in Indiana, not multiple class champions). At the time I was a 17 year-old Junior back-up point guard, just having fun playing ball with my friends/teammates. We didn’t win any money, a few of us got college scholarships to play college ball, and one of us went on to play professionally.  But the fact that we were winners gave me, and I’m sure my teammates, a since of self-confidence that has remained to this day. It probably meant more to our city, our high school, and our parents at the time than it did to us, but that championship experience will stay with us for a lifetime.
6. A Saturday afternoon December 1992.  My senior year in high school and we were playing in a holiday basketball tournament against a team that hadn’t lost in 2 years.  At the time I didn’t even realize college basketball was a possibility for me (I was a better baseball player).  The school we were playing had a great point guard, and there were college scouts there to watch him.  To make a long-story short, I outplayed him, we won, and one college coach there to watch him began to recruit me.  I eventually accepted a scholarship offer, and went to play 4 years of college basketball, 12 hours away from home in South Carolina.  Going to school that far from home, and only coming home a few weeks to a month per year, for four years, provided an experience that has shaped me.  I met new people, different people, traveled to new places, and experienced life differently.  That changed me into a person who was open-minded, who began to embrace new and different ideas.
7. March 1997.  I was a college senior ready to graduate in 2 months. My sister had been living in Los Angeles, CA, and we both made an agreement that I would come to wherever she was and start my life there.  Well that March she let me know that she accepted a new role, and was moving back to Indiana.  I was hurt!  I had visions of life as a 22 year-old college graduate living in LA!  It was about to be on!  I knew that was a life changing experience!  At the time I thought it was a negative one.  However, had I moved to LA, I would not have moved into my sister’s old apartment 5 minutes away from the high school friend that I would reconnect with and eventually marry.  Nor would I have connected with the high school friend/former teammate that showed me around Indy.  I would not have joined the church in which I experienced the most growth and maturity in my life.  Hindsight is definitely 20/20.  I am so glad I did not end up in Cali at that stage in my life.

Your Perception is Key

We all have had expriences that changed our lives forever.  I believe what the bible says in Romans 8:28, “all things work together for good to those who love God.”  Even the situations which I may have perceived as bad, were working with other things in my life, for good.

I encourage you to take a look back over your life and take note of the major, and minor, experiences that have worked for good in your life.  All of them may not seem good yet, but be patient and don’t give in or give up.

Question: What is the first major life-altering event in your life that comes to mind? How has it affected your life today? Please share in the comment section below.

SPACE