At the age of six, when the truth about Father Christmas became apparent, I turned crimson with embarrassment. I had been taken in, shown to be gullible. From that moment forward, I began to consider all such deceits, foisted on unsuspecting children, as contemptible. As the years went by, I cast away many other ideas which I considered deceitful. One by one, the Tooth Fairy, then jinxing, lucky numbers, and astrology fell by the wayside. As time went on it became easier for me to "throw out" the rubbish. Next went ESP, UFOs, wizards and witches: all "out the window". But I didn't stop there, no indeed: anything for which there wasn't rock-solid, repeatable, scientific evidence was expelled from my rational young mind. After much consideration I discarded the devil and, soon after, God as well. "Finally!" I thought, "that is taken care of". Such is the arrogance of youth.

But the Lord was looking out for me. In my very act of apostasy was planted the seed of faith. You see, I passionately believed in truth, and one of the truths that I started searching for was the meaning and purpose in my life. Needless to say, without God, I didn't get very far in the search. Many years of life leaked away, without much progress being made. Then a Christian came into my life, a person for whom I had great respect, and whom I dared not 'throw out with the trash'. This person had purpose and always did the right thing. "Maybe," I thought, "I had better re-think a few of those discarded ideas."

When I finally came to the realization, "God exists!", did I turn crimson with embarrassment again? No, I turned white with shock and grief. All those wasted years stared me in the face, years without purpose, years wandering around trying to find "the point of it all". With great fear and hesitation, I asked Jesus to take over. He did it very gently; there was no fanfare. There was no dramatic change in my personality; indeed I still have most of the faults and troubles I used to have. But now I have a purpose; now I have hope. There is no way I can prove God by scientific experiment. I can't touch him, or taste, or smell, or see, or hear him. But I know He is here, and He is making all the difference.

Prayer: Dear God, you are the truth that makes all other truths meaningful. Without you I am lost, adrift on an ocean of ideas, sailing to oblivion. Thank You for taking over the wheel, Lord, for now I know my destination is secure. Amen.

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