David A. Sabatini
Associate Professor
School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
While I grew up going to church, religion was reserved for Sunday morning. In high school I pursued fulfillment through success in academics and athletics. However, I realized that no matter how much success I achieved I was never satisfied, the fulfillment I sought was elusive. I thought college would be different, but I quickly found otherwise. I now realize that I was experiencing what Pascal described, that in every person there is a God-shaped vacuum that can be filled by no created thing, but by the Creator alone. By trying to fill the void in my life with success I was experiencing the frustration that Pascal described. Finally in my freshman year of college I asked Jesus Christ to become my personal Lord and Savior. Christ indicated that He came that we might have life, and have it abundantly -- I was tired of trying, unsuccessfully, to achieve that abundant life on my own, and decided to give Christ a chance.
Becoming a Christian did not eliminate stressful situations in my life. Prior to receiving Christ I experienced a lot of anxiety, as I tried to orchestrate circumstances and events in my life to make myself fulfilled. Since receiving Christ I have experienced what the apostle Paul describes in Philippians 4:6-7, where he directs us to "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." I have found that as I trust Christ with circumstances in my life I experience the peace described by the Apostle Paul. However, when I revert to my old ways, and try to control circumstances on my own, I experience the anxieties so common in my past. I have found that God is faithful to His promises, even when I stumble and fall along the way.
My relationship with Jesus Christ resulted from emotional needs in my life. However, I have found my faith in Jesus Christ, as based upon the truths in the Bible, to be consistent with my scientific and intellectual life. I could not respect or accept a God or religion that can not stand up against intellectual scrutiny; at the same time, I can accept the fact that we will never understand everything, in science or religion. These things I know for certain, that God loves us and desires an abundant life for us, that He desires a personal and daily relationship with us, that Jesus Christ is the provision for this personal relationship, and that as we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior we will experience the peace that surpasses all comprehension. I have found these things to be true in my life, and can only hope, and pray, that my experience may encourage others to realize these truths for themselves.
If you have any questions or comments you can E-Mail me at SABATINI@LINCOLN.ECN.OU.EDU