What was life like before you met Jesus?
I always knew about Jesus and have been a believer for as long as I can remember. I would go to church every Sunday and then go about the rest of the week like he wasn’t around. I was always taught that as long as you believe, are baptized, go to church and take communion, that you were saved. I didn’t know the difference between believing and following. I was in a bad marriage, I felt trapped and honestly didn’t know where to turn. My pastor at the time was of no help and so I completely fell away from the church and had no desire to attend. I ended up getting divorced and kept thinking someday I would find a different church and try again. I met my husband in 2006 and started going back to a Lutheran Church with him, and while it was okay, I was just going through the motions, I didn’t feel like it was right for me, but my husband had always gone to that church and so we continued going.
How did you meet Jesus?
Around 2017, we started going to Blessed Hope in Vinton along with our other church. One was at 8 and one at 9:30 so we were able to attend both every week. Randy and I were both shocked at the difference and started to realize what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus. We started attending small groups and our faith continued to grow. It was at this point that I started reading the Bible more and really started praying. Before I would pray if I needed help, but I was never regular at it and it seems like I was always asking for things rather than praying because I was thankful.
After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?
I now love to start conversations about Jesus and going to Veritas and have reached out to people and have asked them to join us on Sunday. Knowing that Jesus is with me gives me a sense of peace that I never had before. I am able to let things go that before I would dwell on. I know that no matter what, he is with me and things will be the way they are supposed to be. Our marriage is stronger, I feel I have better and healthier relationships and like my life is complete with Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”