Twenty Years...

As of October 22^nd, 2015, I will be 20 years since I decided to make Jesus lord of my life. At 18 years old I was just starting college still not completely sure of what my future career would be. I remember walking along one morning and stopping at a vending machine while waiting for my next class. Out of nowhere comes this girl and invites me to a bible talk (discussion group). I said “sure, why not, I have a little time”. Here I was thinking that it’s a nice thing that college students do this and it’s something you don’t see all the time. I can’t remember the exact lesson, but I know it was in the book of John and it was about Jesus. I remember seeing Jesus like a real person, for the first time in my life after that lesson.

I grew up Catholic so it’s not like I didn’t know about Jesus, of course I knew. I even went to a Catholic school for three years, how could I not know? My parents taught me about God and they took me to church (mass) every Sunday. I was no stranger to the word of God. However, something was different that day. The Word of God suddenly was very applicable to real life, I mean, like for real! I was invited to study the bible, so I agreed. I was curious to know more about Jesus in the way I heard about him during that bible talk.

I remember having lunch with my dad that day and he asked me how it was going so far at school. I told him about the bible talk and how I am going to meet to study the bible with some of the girls I met there. He told me that this was a good thing and he encouraged it. His encouragement actually was very helpful, especially since I had often sought after my dad’s approval.

So I began studying the bible that week. To my surprise, I began to see God as more real than ever in my life! I started reading the bible every day soon after, getting to know Jesus. I knew I wanted to be his disciple as I got to see him as the hero that he is. As I learned how to pray, I began talking to God as if He was right there, right in front of me and I knew He was. This is how my connection with God began. Then as I looked deep and searched inside of me, I realized that I really needed God. I always thought of myself as a good girl, never doing drugs or getting drunk and I only had less than a handful of boyfriends, which were really more like friends. Yet, as I saw my character sins-especially pride, I saw that I was not so “good” after all. I needed to see this and understand this in order to see my need for salvation, my need for Jesus dying on the cross for me. I finally truly appreciated what the Jesus dying on the cross really meant and so I made the decision to make Jesus Lord of my whole life. I knew this journey would not be an easy one, but I knew it was the right one.

Over the last twenty years, I’ve had many victories and also failures. I’ve been through ups and downs. The toughest times in my life tested my faith, but thanks be to God, He was always there to lift me up. During the four years that I withdrew myself from God, He still didn’t abandon me. I just didn’t see it at the time, but He was still there. Until one day, my eyes opened up again. Then I realized how good my God really is. He is so full of compassion that He once again forgave me of all the bad decisions that I had made during those four years. He called me back to Him and I’ve been back since (for almost four years now).

I don’t even want to imagine what my life would have been like had I not made the decision to follow Christ 20 years ago. Even with the challenges I’ve been through, it was all worth it! Now, I am stronger than ever in my walk with God. I am looking forward to many more years! “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the riches of foods; with singing lips, my mouth will praise you” –Psalm 63:3-4.