In high school I had a deep longing in me to anchor my being in something solid. My worldly enjoyments that once satisfied me were no longer pleasing to me and even had become distasteful. My non-Christian friends could only offer me death, darkness, and more distasteful pleasures. My Christian friends could only offer me good behavior, but still nothing solid. I longed for something deep, solid, and eternal. Soon after the realization of my need, I was in a young people’s meeting with some Christians my age. We sang a hymn that gave me the answer to my longing:

If I gained the world but lost the Savior – were my life worth living for a day?

Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort in the things that soon must pass away?

If I gained the world, but lost the Savior would my gain be worth the life-long strife?

Are all earthly pleasure worth comparing for a moment with a Christ-filled life?

(Hymns, 1079)

After singing this song, I realized that Christ is the only real thing in the universe and He is worthy of my entire existence.

After this experience, and several others, I realized that for the rest of my life, I needed to pursue, gain, and get to know this wonderful One within my spirit. So I began to pursue the Lord with all the believers in the local church (2 Timothy 2:22). Because I grew up in the local church, I knew what it had was something real, solid and eternal.

More recently, the ministry of Witness Lee has opened the Bible to me in a way that has been healthy and has caused me to see, appreciate, and to love only Christ. Through the local church and the ministry of Witness Lee, I have realized that Christ is my solid foundation, and that I was made to enjoy Christ and to be satisfied with only Him (Romans 9:23-24). I can testify that my wound from my worldly pursuits has been healed through the Word of God and through the fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. I have been satisfied and will continue to be satisfied with Christ, my all-inclusive supply. So my song has been and forever will be:

Hallelujah, I have found Him whom my soul so long has craved!

Jesus satisfies my longing; through His life I now am saved. (Hymns, 325)

Pamela Garrion

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