Out of darkness
Do you know those helium balloons that you can buy? Have you ever had one? I remember having them and that horrible feeling as a small child when it slipped out of your hand and floated off into the sky. Would I ever see it again? It was a bit like that when I became a Christian, I thought I was letting go of something that I had grown quite attached to, namely, my way of life.
I was not raised in a Christian home. Unfortunately my father was an alcoholic. I say this not for sympathy, but to paint a picture of my upbringing. Both my parents loved me very much. They brought me up to be independent, to believe in whatever life I chose, the over-riding principle being whatever makes you happy is best. My parents were not Christians, and I grew up as someone you would least expect to grace the doors of a church.