I grew up going to church, but never really paid much attention to my relationship with God. I was more worried about being a kid and having fun. As a teenager I was given an opportunity to go to a local church camp. This was the first time that I really began to take control over my relationship with God. The seed was planted and I began to understand that it was my responsibility to water that seed. The day before we left, I said the Lord’s pray for the first time and meant every single word. It took a few days to really understand the changes that God was starting to work in my life. My entire mental state changed and I really felt for the first time that I was growing up. I was no longer a little kid, I was a new person. A few days later, a family friend told my parents what I did. My parents really took the time to help me understand my choices and gave me to tools to understand the new journey that I had started. They gave me a new Bible and helped me understand how to read the bible. After reading the bible, I began to understand that God wanted me to get baptized. I started to go to church every Sunday and began to speak to the Youth pastor about getting baptized. The Youth pastor really took the time to help me understand my decision. I was baptized a couple months later, at 14, in a pool in the back yard of a friends house in front of my friends and family. I really knew that this was the right choice for me and have never regretted it. Through reading God’s word, I began to see the world in a different light. I have seen God working in my life each day. It has been six years since I made the choice to say the Lord’s prayer for the first time.
I have had some really hard days since then. But I have felt God with me through all of those difficult times. It can be really easy to loose sight of that seed that was planted so long ago. Being a young adult in today’s world, it can be really tempting to take the easy path. There are so many things that try to distract me from God. I have had days when taking the time to devote to God is easy. But it was through those bad times that I really saw God work in my life. I became really depressed my junior year of high school. I have a learning disability called Auditory Processing disorder. I have struggled my entire life to do what the entire world around me does with ease, learning to read. As I was preparing to graduate High School I felt lost. I did not feel that I was smart enough. How could someone like me succeed in the real world. I felt all alone in this world. I could barely find the energy to go to school. After school, I would come home and sleep until it was time to do it over the next day. But I kept pushing through out all of those bad times. Even though I felt like giving up, I never did thanks to the power of God.
If it were not for my relationship with Jesus, I don’t know what would have happened. I always felt God’s love through out those bad times. I knew that God had a purpose for my life. Even though my path was not clear, I trusted in the Power of the Lord to help me through those very dark times. I found comfort Matthew 7:7-8. This verse gave me a lot of hope through those times. I knew that Jesus was speaking directly to me through His Word. I kept faith in God. I trusted that He was and is with me through ALL times.
Slowly, I began to have less dark days. I kept reading the bible and spending time each day with God. Through these times, I did not always understand what path He was leading me, but I kept faith that he has a purpose in my life. Because of God love, I felt strong enough to take my first college class. I was so scared of failing, but I know that through God all things are possible. I had faith that he would be with me no matter what happened. If it were not for God’s love, I would have never had the strength to take my first college class and make the Honor Roll for my first year!
God has given me so many wonderful opportunities since then. I was recently given an opportunity to go on my first missions trip. I was given a wonderful job that allows me to go to school and have all Sundays off. To some, it may not seem like a lot, but to me it has really saved my life.