God's Child By Virginia Mulrooney My mom became one of Jehovah's Witnesses when I was just a baby. Neither she nor my dad had much of a religious upbringing, but Mom wanted to give her new baby a life of faith.

I was a military baby for a few years, and I traveled throughout Europe while living in Germany as a young child. We eventually moved back to the U.S., where Mom continued to stay home with me and my two younger sisters. Dad, who held an M.B.A., pursued corporate success. We began to take hold of the so called "American Dream." While living in Boston, Mass., in a large, white column home in the suburbs, my world consisted of a lemonade stand, joyous leaps in my pool, and dolphin shows enacted for the neighborhood off of our diving board. Two added delights were my Grandpa Ray and Grandma Martha, who both lived with us. Many warm summer evenings were spent with Grandpa on the lake behind our home, where we would "tinker" and get sweaty. During the winter, we would ice skate along the top of our cranberry bog with frostbitten and giggling friends.

During this innocent and wonderful period of my life, I never considered the consequences of Mom's decision to become a Jehovah's Witness. I was a happy little JW child. I loved my family and never minded attending meetings with Mom. I "idolized" my Mom and wanted to be just like her. I relished those evenings and Sundays sitting shoulder to shoulder with Mom, chomping on gum together and answering questions. I wasn't ashamed of my association with the JW's; quite the contrary. I passionately witnessed to my entire elementary school class when asked why I didn't salute the flag or celebrate holidays. I certainly didn't mind knocking on doors, and I adored my little yellow book of bible stories. I even named my guinea pig Jepthah. Well, that about says it all. I was happy, happy as a little clam, until my shell split wide open...

Running was quite easy, up and down a flight of stairs,

Around my backyard squealing, a child without a care.

But one night as I lay sleeping, under a canopy of white,

Growls of thunder pierced my world...a storm not far from sight.

The columns began collapsing, my parents began to fight,

This storm a roaring lion, with a vicious evil bite.

Innocence and joy were sheared as I lay in dreadful fright,

My home, my family devoured, in darkness on that night.

I awoke the following morn, in a strange and foreign place,

With little gleams of light resting softly on my face.

My frame was bruised and shattered, results of the enemy's tear,

I whispered "Oh God, please help me, if you're really there.

The city of Atlanta, Ga., was home to many, but strange and foreign to me. My parents' marriage was in serious trouble and Dad wanted to work for himself and start a business. So, my parents sold it all and moved to Georgia, where my parents would give it another try. But sadly, the situation only worsened. My family was on its last leg and I knew in my heart we were about to collapse completely. In the midst of this turmoil, a schoolmate asked me to go on a First Baptist of Atlanta Youth Retreat, hosted by Andy Stanley (Dr. Charles Stanley's son). My Mom was strongly opposed, of course. So I decided to leave the Jehovah's Witnesses for good, just like that, at age 13; and I went on the retreat. It was at this point that Mom's rejection of me began to emerge, although I knew she was hurt and disappointed.

My family finally collapsed in 1985 when I was 15 years old. The divorce was extremely painful. Mom remarried a JW man six months after the divorce. My sisters remained with Mom and I went with Dad. Mom was extremely happy once again, and I knew deep down there was no longer a place for me in her life unless I became a JW again. So, I remained with Dad.

Dad gave me a red Porsche to drive, an apartment to live in alone, and money each month. I was 16 years old and raising myself. During this period, I accepted Jesus as my Savior, graduated from high school, and even went off to college. I never really considered the consequences of giving my life to Jesus though. You see, after a year of being alone, I became desperate for Mom to love and accept me once again. I wanted a family again and began searching for security. There were moments when I didn't think I would survive the pain of having lost my mom's approval. Even after accepting Christ, I attended the Kingdom Hall for a brief time and studied with my stepfather. I cried out to God to reveal His Truth to me once and for all.

When I was 19 years old, God revealed to me in a very powerful way that Jesus Christ is "the way, and the truth and the life" (John 14:6). I realized that I did not have to become a Witness to inherit eternal life. I did not have to become a Witness to receive unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Jehovah's Witnesses claim you must be a part of their organization to be God's child. This is a lie. The truth is that you must be a part of Christ to be God's child. My decision to choose Christ's love over my mom's love was the most wonderful and most difficult decision of my life. I sacrificed earthly acceptance for eternal acceptance. Jesus Christ is worth every tear though, and there is nothing-absolutely nothing-in that is worth losing Him over.

I have three beautiful girls of my own now, just like Mom. We pray every day that someday soon she will be part of our family...our family in Christ. God is good...very, very good.