How Do I Seek God First?

The story of Anita Keagy's journey from a teenage pregnancy to a life-changing ministry centered on seeking God first is nothing short of extraordinary. Her testimony powerfully illustrates how our most painful experiences can become the foundation for profound spiritual transformation and a deeper sense of purpose.

In 1974, at just 17 years old, Anita found herself pregnant after her senior prom. The irony wasn't lost on her—earlier that same year, she had written a self-righteous paper arguing against abortion, which had just been legalized in 1973. Now facing this unexpected crisis while being raised in a strong Christian pastoral family, Anita had to confront the reality of her situation with courage and faith.

The response of Anita's parents models what Christian love truly looks like in crisis. Instead of condemnation or rejection, they offered unconditional support while still encouraging her to take responsibility for her choices. The image of her father leaving a church picnic to find her hiding in the car, crying in shame, then simply holding her and crying with her, provides a powerful picture of how our Heavenly Father responds to our failures. As Anita beautifully described, "He was just such a picture of our Heavenly Father. He doesn't want to see us get hurt. That's why he has His commands."

After much prayer and discernment, Anita made the difficult decision to place her baby for adoption. The parallel she draws between this painful choice and spiritual surrender is profound. She recalls a pivotal moment when, struggling with doubts about her decision as her pregnancy progressed, she heard a preacher on the radio say, "Never doubt in the dark what God has taught you in the light." This became her "seal the deal" moment—learning to trust God's guidance even when emotions and circumstances felt overwhelming.

Years later, Anita experienced the unexpected joy of reuniting with her daughter, Twyla. The process began when she updated her information with the adoption agency, which led to the discovery that she could create a file of letters for her daughter to access when she turned 18. Although Twyla didn't immediately request the file after becoming an adult, contact was eventually made, and a relationship developed through correspondence before they finally met in person.

What happened next transformed Anita's relationship with Scripture. While reading Acts 17 one morning, God revealed a powerful parallel to her: just as she had created a file of letters expressing her love for a daughter who might never read them, God has created His own "file"—the Bible—filled with expressions of His love for children who might never seek Him. The revelation broke her heart as she realized, "I couldn't imagine His pain... especially those of us who say we love Him and that we want to follow Him. Yet we stay so busy that we have no time to open His letters and read them."

This insight led Anita to develop "The Joy of Seeking God First," a ministry and Bible study that has touched the lives of countless individuals over the past 20+ years. Her approach is refreshingly simple yet profoundly effective: read Scripture with the primary goal of knowing Jesus better, asking "Jesus, what do you want me to know about you today?" and later, "Jesus, what are you saying you want me to do?"

Anita's testimony reminds us that God wants to be wanted. Just as she longed for her daughter to desire a relationship with her, God longs for His children to seek Him intentionally. The beautiful truth is that when we make seeking God our priority, He produces fruit in our lives that we could never manufacture on our own. As Anita puts it, "When you are intentional to seek God, to want to know Him, to want to find Him, He starts producing the fruit in our lives."