Before Jesus Changed My Life

I grew up going to a Lutheran church when I was younger. I went to youth group and mission trips but I never really knew what going to church meant or what being baptized meant. It was something my parents forced me to do and not something I chose to do. When I was in high school, I started making some decisions that negatively impacted my life, and I didn’t care. I didn’t care that I was sinning, and I didn’t care how it affected me or others around me. I hit a low point, and I didn’t want to live. I didn’t feel like I had a reason to. I started cutting and making bad decisions because I thought it would make me feel better and make me feel anything other than what I was going through. I became very suicidal and I thought I would never come back from all the pain I was feeling. I truly believed that dying would stop the pain. I thought I was unable to be saved, and I started to doubt Jesus because I wondered why he would put me through so much if that was his plan for me. But then I realized that THIS was God's plan for me. He gave me a second chance at life when I didn’t feel like I deserved one. I started going back to church and youth group and telling my story. I came to a point where I repented my sins to Jesus and realized that I was saved by him for a reason. I didn’t think I could be saved after everything I had done, but I was wrong. When I graduated high school and came to college I was nervous that I would have trouble continuing in my faith journey and finding a support system away from home. A couple of close friends helped me realize that I did have a support system and a purpose to keep going. That purpose was Jesus. He is my reason for living and the reason I am alive today.

How Jesus Changed My Life

I started simply by praying. I started praying about everything and everyone. I prayed about the smallest things and about people I didn’t even know personally. I started going back to church and youth group after a very long time. I was a little hesitant at first because I was still skeptical about Jesus forgiving me. But I kept going and kept praying and reading my Bible. My friends and I started doing Bible study together and going to Salt Company once I moved to college, and I started really focusing on my relationship with God. I speak to God every day about the smallest of things, but I know that he will always be there for me, even if no one else is.

My Life After Jesus Saved Me

My life now still has ups and downs but I know now that God is greater than anything life throws at me. I know that even if other people around me don’t have the same beliefs as me, God will be there to protect me and guide me through life because he is worthy, and I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He is my Savior and someone I can always count on. After growing up in a Lutheran church, choosing to follow Jesus personally was something that I had wanted to do for a while but never really knew how. I was afraid of what my parents would say. But I know that Jesus is bigger than I can imagine and more worthy than I realize. I know that he has saved me and I know that without a doubt that I will go to Heaven. I know that even if other people don’t support me, God will. I have made a couple of amazing connections with people through Christ, and I will continue to keep them close to me. My journey with God and faith is never over, and I can’t wait to keep growing and learning from him for the rest of my life.