What was life like before you met Jesus?

My life before Jesus was rough. I tried to follow Jesus, but something was stopping me. It was my sin. I felt like God could never love me or forgive my sin. No matter how many times I heard that God forgives everyone’s sins, I still didn’t understand it. Because of this, I felt like an outsider at youth group. At home, I would lie and disobey my parents and think nothing of it. I would disobey my parents or lie and not bat an eye. Sin became a habit for me. I knew I should feel convicted of my sin, but I didn’t.

How did you meet Jesus?

Then Jesus entered my life. I first felt him come into my life at youth camp this past summer. We had a worship night at youth camp, and God spoke to me that night. However, I returned home and began to fall back into the same routine, summer happened, and Golf tournaments were a priority for me instead of God. Then this fall, on the 2nd night of the 1 John series at youth group, the message hit me hard. A verse that stuck out to me that night was 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin.” This verse has impacted me by letting me see that in order to have fellowship with God and one another, I have to believe in God and walk in the light with God. The next week hit me even harder because I saw the sin in my life in a way that I had never seen before. A verse that stuck out to me that week was 1 John 2:1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” To me, this verse is saying that Jesus takes on our sins and stands in our place when we should feel the wrath of God.

After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?

Since that night, I started regularly praying to God and asking for his forgiveness of my sins. I have grown to see my need for regular repentance and how I can respond to the grace of Jesus in worship. God has changed my problems with my parents and lying. God has shown me patience and kindness toward my parents and why I need to be honest in what I say.