Before Jesus Changed My Life
I think what really made me realize I needed to turn to Jesus was when I got injured during my freshman year in baseball. It was a dark time for me as I wasn’t able to receive acceptance through the sport I had never missed a year in since I was a kid. It helped me realize that everything I was trying to fill my life with, such as alcohol, lust, and success in baseball, was still leaving me empty inside. I started to realize that I was living for these highs in my life, and when I didn’t have them, life felt boring and left me craving for the next high. Even as I tried to go to Jesus more during my sophomore year through hearing the Bible app message daily and prayer, I was still putting so much of my worth into baseball and what others thought of me.
How Jesus Changed My Life
Jesus changed my life by surrounding me with the right group of people. Particularly this past fall, I was invited to a connection group by a baseball teammate. I went because I wanted to be around others who had a relationship with Jesus and could help me open up about mine and grow it. This helped me see clearly the Lord’s true love He has for us. It also made me comfortable to open up about sins that I was struggling with. This allowed me to receive support and start the rhythms I needed to give my life to Jesus fully. The moment I felt I had been saved was during Salt Conference in January. All weekend, we read Colossians 3 and talked about dying to your old self and putting on your new self in Christ. I didn’t realize right away from that weekend that was the moment I was saved, but as I look back and see how my life has changed since that message, it all makes sense. I began feeling more and more guilty for the sins I continued to indulge in, but knew that they were forgiven, so I didn’t let them weigh me down like I had in the past. My weeks became filled with days where I was talking and learning about the Lord with others, but I also became more consistent in reading the Bible and praying throughout the day on my own. Proverbs 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Luke 9:23-26 are all verses that have had a significant impact on me.
My Life After Jesus Saved Me
Now that I have fully given my life to Jesus, I finally feel free from the weight of sin and have accepted the grace God has for me. I feel way more convicted to run from the sins of the world and devote my life to Jesus because I am completely unworthy of being saved, but He loves me and died on the cross for me. Giving my life to Jesus has also given me pure joy and fulfillment. I no longer worry about what is to come because I know God has amazing plans for me and they’re better than whatever I could imagine. I know that whenever I am struggling or lost, I can turn to my Lord in prayer to help guide me and set me back on the path He has for me (Romans 6:22-23, Luke 10:2-3). Jesus did the work on the cross, freeing me of the shackles of death and giving me the opportunity to be in a relationship with God for eternity.