My Offering
By Sharon Byrd

I gave my life to Jesus. Why?
Because I realized I had nothing.
I gave my life to Christ because when I was using cocaine,
It brought only destruction.
When I was living a homosexual lifestyle,
It brought more unhappiness,
And less love than the real love I was looking for.
I gave my life because... What did I truly have?
No true friends.
No true purpose.
No true hope.
When cocaine wasn’t enough,
I began to smoke it in the form of crack.

When that wasn’t enough, I smoked more.
I gave myself to relationships and
Drug-induced delusions of happiness.
Happy with my life.
Happy with my friends.
Happy with my lifestyle.
Tolerate me.
When I was a drug addict I had purpose.
I existed for the drug.
Then I said to myself
One day this drug would run out and
I wanted more.
No, I needed more.
I saw myself going in a circle of relationships, drugs,
Alcohol, and back through the same spiral hell of myself.
Then I saw myself.
I saw myself going in a circle of relationships, drugs,
Alcohol, and back through the same spiral.
I gave my life to Jesus because someone told me He could save me.
They said He would come and enter my heart and change me.
Not my circumstances. Me.
And I would no longer be a victim of my circumstances.
They said Jesus would come and enter my heart
And change me.
Change the drug addiction. Change the alcoholism.
And though I didn’t know it at the time,
But somehow I knew deep in my heart
It was wrong.
He would free me from homosexuality.

He would tug at my heart and make me to know love.
True love. The love that surpasses understanding and allows
A sinner like me,
A sinner like you,
A sinner like me,
To go through a blood-stained, prepared door that Jesus made.
He looked for someone to stand in the gap,
And there was none.
No, not one.
So His own arm worked salvation.
For God so loved the world … Wait, put you in there:
For God so loved me,
For God so loved Sharon,
For God so loved you,
That He gave His only begotten Son,
That whosoever believes on Him
Shall be saved.
Not an easy life. That was never promised.
But everlasting life – that was promised.
He set me free from a life of drugs,
A life of alcoholism, and a life of homosexuality...
All fake loves.
I gave my love to fake things.
Then I wondered why there was no love in return.
Dead things whose only promise was and always will be
That I would always want more.
In the end, the Bible says, it leads to death.
Where is your hope tonight?
What is your love depending on?
I gave my life to Jesus because He gave His life for me.
What are you giving your life to?