What was life like before you met Jesus?
Before I met Christ I always worked hard to be the most liked person and the one everyone admired. Basketball was the center of my life. I searched for approval from other people through that. I wanted everyone to see me walking down the halls and admire me for how great and awesome I was. There came a time when people didn't approve of me anymore. This made me depressed and it felt like my whole world came tumbling down.
How did you meet Jesus?
I was raised Catholic but I would say I was truly introduced to who Jesus really is when Coach Wink, my football coach gave me a FCA Bible. I wasn't overly interested in Jesus, but I did want to see what Jesus had to say about sports and winning. It was this mixture of sports and Jesus that really caught my attention. I sat down one night and started reading the Gospel of Luke. I slowly became fascinated by the personal relationship that I saw God wanting to have with me and I was hooked. I didn't realize I was starving for Jesus until I experienced just a little bit of him. I quickly fell in love with that personal Jesus that I found when reading my Bible.
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
My happiness in life no longer comes from basketball and receiving the approval of other people. I no longer chase after people's admiration. The approval of Jesus was the thing I had been chasing the entire time, I just didn't know that's what it was. Jesus helped me through a rough time in my life and I now see the entire world differently than I did before. I soon realized that even though I didn't know it, Jesus was there the entire time right beside me, and that's why Joshua 1:9 lives in the back of my head. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you whenever you go." No matter what happens in my life, I have peace in knowing God is right there beside me.