Gloria Gaynor says she had a "God-shaped void" until making a special prayer.,,,
Legendary disco queen Gloria Gaynor, best known for her classic ‘I Will Survive’, admits her Christian journey had its ups and downs.
“At a time in my life when I felt like I was on a seesaw, praying one day and then smoking and drinking and partying the next, I went to a Baptist church in New Jersey with my godmother,” said Gaynor.
“At the end of the service, the minister asked if anyone wanted to accept Christ into their life. Accept Christ? I didn’t even know what that meant.”
Gaynor says two things led her to that point.
“My mother – my closest companion – died. With her gone, I became aware of a great emptiness at the centre of my life.
“Then I had a terrible accident onstage at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
“I was in hospital for months and began to read the Bible out of boredom. I must have read the first chapter of Genesis 15 times. I never got any further because I didn’t understand what I was reading.
“When I was released from hospital I stayed away from partying for a while, but then I couldn’t stand being left out of the good times.
“I wanted to talk to people about God, but I didn’t know any Christians well enough to ask the questions that nagged me.
“Then came my visit to that little Baptist church. For the first time, I was ready for whatever God told me. I sat at my dining room table with my Bible and prayed, ‘God, I want to know who Jesus is. I want to hear from you.’
“For the next two years I spent an hour or two studying the Bible every time I had the chance, and today I feel unshakable in my faith because I didn’t get it from my aunt or my mother – the Lord taught me.
“I believe I was born again that first day I sat down with the Bible. I had money and fame, but there was a God-shaped void in my life. I can’t tell you exactly what day it was because I never marked it on a calendar, but for me it was my second birthday.”
