What was life like before you met Jesus?
Before I met Jesus, I was very much living a worldly lifestyle. I was binge drinking on the weekends and engaging in "hook-up culture." I was an empathetic person and treated others with respect, but was definitely living for myself and making most decisions through a selfish lens. This lifestyle led to temporary highs, but ultimately left me feeling empty, unloved, and led to issues with anxiety and depression.
How did you meet Jesus?
I grew up in a Catholic family and we went to church every Sunday, so I knew Jesus from an early age and built a good foundation for my relationship with God. However, in high school my family got away from going to church together and during my college years when it was time for me to make the decision to pursue God on my own, I drifted away from Him. In hindsight, there were times throughout those handful of years that God was calling me back to Him, but it wasn't until my wife and I moved to Cedar Rapids and started going to Veritas that I finally heard His voice and turned back to Him. Scripture that helped me realize I needed a Savior and to pursue Christ, was Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." It helped me see that even though I was, for the most part, a good person from a worldly perspective that I was indeed a sinner and needed to repent and pursue a relationship with Christ.
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
I no longer need worldly approval or worldly achievements to feel value and to feel loved. I no longer have intense worry or anxiety because I know that I am God's and that He is sovereign over all and victorious over sin and death. Romans 8:38-39, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love." I now find joy and fulfillment in pursuing a relationship with God, and in sharing the truth of the Bible with those around me.