Along the Rio Grande by Tracie Peterson

Author:Tracie Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;Romance fiction;Novels;FIC042030;FIC027360
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2022-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Susanna had never seen people coming forward and getting saved like this. At their church back in Topeka, services were much more formal, and if a person wanted to discuss salvation or anything else with the pastor, they made an appointment for sometime later in the week. As Pastor Lewis prayed with each person, Susanna could tell her folks were more than a little uncomfortable, but the experience of watching people yield their lives to God touched her deeply. They were making their decision public—letting the entire church see that they were giving their lives to God. What a wonderful way of letting the truth be known. Susanna had never had such an experience, and something about it nudged at her until she got to her feet and made her way forward.

When Pastor Lewis looked her in the eye, she could very well imagine Jesus gazing at her. The old man smiled and leaned close to whisper, “And do you want to take Jesus as your Savior?”

“I thought I had,” Susanna replied. “But this public confession seems important to me. I don’t know why, but here I am.”

He smiled and nodded. “Sometimes it’s just nice to show everybody where you stand. Do you believe Jesus is the only Son of God—that He came to earth to save us and gave His life on the cross to take away our sins? Do you believe He rose from the dead and has prepared a place for us in heaven?”

Susanna nodded. “I do.”

“See how simple that was?” Pastor Lewis grinned. He bowed his head, and Susanna closed her eyes. “Lord, bless this child of yours. She has publicly accepted your free gift of salvation. Direct her steps now and always as she chooses to live for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

“Amen,” Susanna whispered.

He moved on to the next person and left Susanna to wonder in awe at how right this moment felt. She had done nothing more than admit to things she’d believed for most of her life, so maybe she hadn’t needed to make this public confession, but somehow it seemed to be one of the most important things she’d ever done.

After Pastor Lewis finished praying with the others, he took his place at the pulpit and asked the congregation to pray a blessing on those who had come forward. Susanna bowed her head and smiled. She truly did feel blessed.

Later, when church had been dismissed, Susanna found herself surrounded by people. Some gave her hug, and others commented on being surprised by her actions.

“I figured you were already a Christian,” one of the women from her quilting group said. “If I’d known otherwise, we would have gotten you saved at our sewing party.”

Susanna smiled. “I’ve known Jesus was Lord for a long time, and I have always believed in God. I just never made a confession like Pastor talked about.”

The old woman nodded. “I understand. Sometimes we just sort of fall into a thing without really knowing what it’s all about and what’s expected of us.

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