So, before I start telling you this story, I want to preface it by saying this isn’t a ME story it’s a HE story meaning this story isn’t about what I did to save me it’s about what Jesus did to save me.
I professed to know Christ at a very young age. I was maybe 6-7 years old at the time and (to be completely honest) was a little needy when it came to attention. This need is what I believe drove my decision to make a profession of faith when I was young. I prayed the prayer, said the right things, and got baptized while a bunch of people watched. That was what I wanted.
About 6 years went by (it’s 2015 now) and as I got older I began to lose my passion for Christ. My family and I were living in Kansas and I strayed away from God and started focusing more on me than on Him. I began losing my patience for the people around me especially my family. I’m almost positive that Lucifer had a grip on my heart and was using me to tear others down. I was a mean person, impatient, and not very serious about my relationship with God. I went to church for one reason and it was to hangout with friends and get away from my family. I’m homeschooled. I’ve been homeschooled for as long as I can remember so being around my family 24/7 became somewhat annoying. So I went to church to get away from my own flesh and blood.
So, one Wednesday Night I was at youth group listening to a sermon (somewhat ironically) about testimonies. After the sermon was over, we were asked to split into small groups and write our testimonies out on a piece of paper. So my then 6th Grade friends and I went back into a classroom and were given a pen and paper. We were asked to write our testimonies and turn them into our leader. Everyone gladly obliged except me. I was the only one out of the 6-8 people in the room who didn’t start writing. Our leader walks over and asks me why I’m not writing and I respond frankly with “I don’t have a testimony.” As soon as I said those words my heart sank and I knew I needed to change that ASAP. So once everyone was done, we were dismissed and I pulled my leader and Youth Pastor aside and told them what had happened. At first I was worried they would judge me or something like that but they were understanding and made sure I was ready to make a commitment to follow Christ. I was 110% in and we prayed right then and there and I accepted the Jesus as my Saviour.
Now, my life since coming to know Christ has been full of ups and downs. After spending 4 years of my life with the best friends I’d every known, I was forced to pack up and leave it all for the state of Oklahoma in 2018. I moved away from the closest people in my life and it hurt a lot. I was angry, confused, and ready to give up and to be honest those feelings haven’t gone away entirely. At one point, it got so bad to where I was about 30 seconds from ending my own life (this gets better I promise). So summer 2018 rolls around and my parents talk me into going to Falls Creek, a week long away camp for churches in Oklahoma and surrounding areas like Texas. I went into Falls Creek with no sense of purpose in my life and long story short, by the grace of God, I walked out rejuvenated with a passion for ministry. God, in His mysterious ways, called a broken and hurting freshman into ministry. Then and there I dedicated my life to pastoral youth ministry and plan on following through with that when I graduate. Since then, I’ve been in God’s Word more than ever and I feel like my relationship with Him is as strong as it’s ever been. So yes, even as a Christian my life hasn’t been ideal but I was never promised that. The one thing I was promised when I put my faith and trust in the King of Kings was eternity with Him and that makes all of this suffering here and now seem like a small bump in the road that will lead me to my Saviour.