Ever since I first learned of Jesus Christ through my parents and Sunday School, I’ve always believed that God existed and called myself a Christian. I remember praying the “sinner’s prayer” over and over again when I was young because I desperately wanted to be saved, but wasn’t sure if praying it just once was enough. Although I thought that I was saved at the time, I didn't really know what it meant to truly repent and turn away from my sins towards a life pleasing to God. So in reality, I was still lost in my sin. Around the sixth grade, I began to live more of a double life. At church, I’d try and look like a good kid, answering questions and memorizing verses to have a good reputation among the teachers and other parents. However, outside of church I acted completely differently. I was rebellious towards my parents and authority and basically did things to satisfy my own pride and desires. I tricked myself into thinking that because I was very adamant against drinking or smoking, I was a good Christian, but my life was far from it. However, God, in His immeasurable love, never allowed me to stray far from Him and taught me that salvation was so much more than just saying a prayer. Even in the worldly circumstances I was in, He was gracious to show me that absolutely nothing in the world can fully satisfy me except Himself, that everything else is rubbish compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8). He did this by using various trials to humble me and open my eyes to what really mattered in life.
The summer after sixth grade, both my grandmother and my aunt passed away after long battles with cancer. I was frustrated and angry at first, but I was floored when my mom told me through her tears that God is always good, and both of them were now in a much better place because they had a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Her example was so encouraging to me, and God used this opportunity to show me my need for a Savior because of my sin. I began to realize that I was too inconsistent in living out the truths of Scripture, which was a result of the low priority God was in my life. I knew all this truth and professed to believe in God, yet I didn’t always live as though the God of the Bible was really my God. It was around this time that I was truly saved and gave my life completely up to Christ. I was baptized in the summer after my freshman year of high school, and the Lord continued to be faithful in showering me with His grace, using various trials, circumstances, people, and His Word to remind me that my life has been purchased by the blood of Christ and that I should live accordingly.
Then, sometime in my junior year of high school, I learned of another way in which God’s grace was poured onto my life even from my youth, and the truth that my life is dependent on His grace took on new meaning. My parents told me one morning that when I was born, I had a series of epileptic seizures, and they had to face the difficult choice of whether or not to give me this drug to prevent those seizures from coming back. The catch was that this drug was known to stunt both physical and mental growth, especially at that young age. After extensive prayer, my parents decided to put their faith entirely in God and to not use the drug, believing that God would heal me if He willed it. Having learned of this, I realized how greatly God had blessed me and how much I owed even my physical health to Him. He made me realize that I was absolutely nothing without His grace, and yet He gave me eternal life and filled my life with blessings. My life has truly been bought with the precious blood of Christ, and not because of anything I’ve done to deserve it but solely because of God’s love. Praise the Lord for that great lesson in humility! Because of this faithfulness in sanctifying me that God has already made evident in my life, I can be confident that by His grace I will continue to be conformed to the image of His Son, for His glory.
The summer after sixth grade, both my grandmother and my aunt passed away after long battles with cancer. I was frustrated and angry at first, but I was floored when my mom told me through her tears that God is always good, and both of them were now in a much better place because they had a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Her example was so encouraging to me, and God used this opportunity to show me my need for a Savior because of my sin. I began to realize that I was too inconsistent in living out the truths of Scripture, which was a result of the low priority God was in my life. I knew all this truth and professed to believe in God, yet I didn’t always live as though the God of the Bible was really my God. It was around this time that I was truly saved and gave my life completely up to Christ. I was baptized in the summer after my freshman year of high school, and the Lord continued to be faithful in showering me with His grace, using various trials, circumstances, people, and His Word to remind me that my life has been purchased by the blood of Christ and that I should live accordingly.
Then, sometime in my junior year of high school, I learned of another way in which God’s grace was poured onto my life even from my youth, and the truth that my life is dependent on His grace took on new meaning. My parents told me one morning that when I was born, I had a series of epileptic seizures, and they had to face the difficult choice of whether or not to give me this drug to prevent those seizures from coming back. The catch was that this drug was known to stunt both physical and mental growth, especially at that young age. After extensive prayer, my parents decided to put their faith entirely in God and to not use the drug, believing that God would heal me if He willed it. Having learned of this, I realized how greatly God had blessed me and how much I owed even my physical health to Him. He made me realize that I was absolutely nothing without His grace, and yet He gave me eternal life and filled my life with blessings. My life has truly been bought with the precious blood of Christ, and not because of anything I’ve done to deserve it but solely because of God’s love. Praise the Lord for that great lesson in humility! Because of this faithfulness in sanctifying me that God has already made evident in my life, I can be confident that by His grace I will continue to be conformed to the image of His Son, for His glory.