A Day That Matters Most

On Tuesday of this week, February 13, I celebrated the release of a new book (To Marry an English Lord). It is release #91 for me. That 100-books-published mark is getting closer and closer.

But that’s not the day I meant in the title. It matters but it doesn’t matter most.

Wednesday of this week matters, but not because of Valentine’s Day. I’m all for romance or I wouldn’t write so many books in that genre. I believe in expressions of love. Boy, do I believe in them. They are important. But Valentine’s Days come and go. So that’s not what I meant in the title either.

February 14 was also Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent on the Christian calendar. That day is definitely important. It’s a day with eternal significance. It begins a season of reflection leading up to Resurrection Sunday. What Christ accomplished on the cross and by His resurrection is so much more than even His followers truly comprehend.

But that still isn’t what I meant in the title.

What makes last Wednesday a day that matters most to me is that it was my 48th born again birthday. On February 14, 1976, I became a child of God when I surrendered to the love of Jesus and became His disciple. Every other day in my life pales in comparison, even the most wonderful of days (and I’ve been blessed with many of those).

Some of my brothers and sister in Christ can’t point to a definite day and time. Some have just always known and belonged to Him since they were young children. But I can point to almost the exact minute because I lived without conscious knowledge of His hand on my life for too many years. So when I surrendered, I knew.

There’s a line from The Chosen which I love. I love it so much that I have it on both a sweatshirt and a t-shirt. In the show, it is spoken by Mary Magdalene when she is asked how she was set free of the demons that had possessed her. She says, “I was one way, and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between was Him.” That pretty much sums it up for me. I was one way (prior to February 14, 1976) and now I am another (from February 14, 1976 and on). And what happened in between was Jesus the Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Salvation takes a moment. Sanctification takes a lifetime. That’s the part of the journey I’ve been on for the past 48 years. And while 48 years as a believer might sound like a long time—and I am oh-so-very thankful for every single one of those years—in comparison with eternity in His presence, it is just a drop in the bucket. 

Here’s to the days that matter most.

~robin