What was life like before you met Jesus?
Before I met Jesus, life was tough. I did not grow up in a religious household. We did not go to church, you would not see a Bible laying around in our house, and everything related to living a faithful life to Jesus was absent. Before I met Jesus, I was a wretch. I found my identity in the affirmation of others in order to feel a sense of belonging. My desire was to seek approval. I was traveling a very broken road. I was prideful and fostered an attitude of entitlement which ultimately just led to destruction. I started living a life full of anxiety which made it hard for me to carry out normal everyday tasks. I was in a constant state of worry, unease, and nervousness and was very desperate for help.
How did you meet Jesus?
On Sunday, November 6th, 2017, I met Jesus for the first time. My aunt invited me to attend a church service that day in which the sermon happened to be about anxiety. This service was during the time when I was at my lowest point. A time when I was struggling to keep a positive mindset. A time when anxiety and shame had taken over me and had mentally drained me. I felt so isolated for so long up until I met Jesus on this day. I was struggling to hold in tears during the service because everything the Pastor preached about, resonated with me. As I walked out the church doors after the service, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders because God was with me. I knew this was the beginning of my walk with Jesus.
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
My walk with Jesus has been nothing close to perfect. There have been times in college when I have strayed away from Him and my closeness with Him was lacking. However, this past year, I have felt an enormous amount of growth. Through diving into His word, attending church, going to conferences, and worshiping Him, I have never felt safer. The Lord is my place of safety and I place my trust in Him. I wake up every day honoring the Lord and this feeling is indescribable. When you spend time in the presence of God, He takes your heart and protects it. The enemy sees my love for God and tries to remind me of my past, but God's love protects my heart. Today, I find solace in my faith. Not because God will step in and fix my problems, but because he climbs into my struggles with me. I no longer crave the satisfaction of approval from others, because I have already received the greatest approval from God. My desires have changed to where I yearn for sharing the Gospel with people who don't know Him. When traveling a broken road, it can be easy to let our fears get in the way. But when we learn to let go of that fear and put our faith in God, He will show us the way and give us eternal life (John 3:16). As Psalm 116:6 states, “I was helpless, but he saved me.”