By God’s grace, I was raised in a Christian home, and was taught the gospel from the beginning of my childhood. I have faithful parents who are both solid Christians who love God and have a very high view of His Word, which I saw constantly in our home. Because of their ministry, I think I’ve always believed that God was real, that Jesus Christ was His Son, and that He came to earth to die for sinners. My parents were great examples of godliness to me, always making sure to have family devotion and prayer times, always evidencing their commitment to church and to the Lord. Because I had always grown up in church, I had always considered myself to be a Christian. But in my pride, I didn’t have a true understanding of my need for a Savior. I was often considered to be a "good kid" and was praised by my parents, school teachers, and other adults around me, because I got good grades in school, was generally well-behaved, and always obeyed my parents. I prided myself on my so-called good works and considered myself righteous, while on the inside I didn’t truly know God. I wasn’t humble before Him, and this lack of humility was clearly demonstrated in my motivations, placed in the desire to be praised by others rather than worship to God. But God was and still is abundantly gracious to me, and gradually during my middle school years, He opened my eyes to give me understanding of how the things I did, even though they were good in my eyes, fell massively short of His high and holy standard. Sometime around middle school or early high school, I accepted Jesus as my Savior, in the recognition that I’m helpless without Him, that the only way to be forgiven of my sins was to repent of them and to run to God and ask Him to forgive me, and accept the free gift of grace that He offers. I realized that none of the good things I did were what made me a follower of Christ. My knowledge of the bible, the verses that I memorized, the way I obeyed my parents--none of it could really save me, only God could. Even though I had known that in theory, it became real truth in my life, slowly over time as God revealed Himself to me. I finally understood my need for Jesus as my Savior, repented of those sins, and truly desired to live my life to please Him rather than myself or other people.
During high school, I continued to grow in the depth of my understanding of what the Bible says and what it means to follow Jesus. I served in my church’s nursery ministry and recited memory verses to myself. However, my life was lacking in spiritual disciplines, and I had little accountability for sins such as pride in my personal accomplishments or lack of trust in God for areas of uncertainty in my life. I strove to obey God in some areas of life that were easier for me, but the fruit I bore in areas that were difficult was a lot slower. It was at this point in my life that God brought me to UCLA as I began college, where He placed me at Grace Community Church and Grace on Campus UCLA. The people at GOC clearly loved Jesus with every facet of their lives, and that love overflowed into the way they spoke and acted all the time. That was what I wanted for my own life, so I joined a small group and tried to imitate the lives of the Christians in the GOC community. Having accountability and God-centered fellowship throughout the week grew my desire for personal holiness and greatly strengthened my faith in the Lord. I know that I still have a long way to go in being sanctified and growing in the likeness of my Savior, but I am confident that God will complete His work in me, and it’s my joy every day to worship Him.
During high school, I continued to grow in the depth of my understanding of what the Bible says and what it means to follow Jesus. I served in my church’s nursery ministry and recited memory verses to myself. However, my life was lacking in spiritual disciplines, and I had little accountability for sins such as pride in my personal accomplishments or lack of trust in God for areas of uncertainty in my life. I strove to obey God in some areas of life that were easier for me, but the fruit I bore in areas that were difficult was a lot slower. It was at this point in my life that God brought me to UCLA as I began college, where He placed me at Grace Community Church and Grace on Campus UCLA. The people at GOC clearly loved Jesus with every facet of their lives, and that love overflowed into the way they spoke and acted all the time. That was what I wanted for my own life, so I joined a small group and tried to imitate the lives of the Christians in the GOC community. Having accountability and God-centered fellowship throughout the week grew my desire for personal holiness and greatly strengthened my faith in the Lord. I know that I still have a long way to go in being sanctified and growing in the likeness of my Savior, but I am confident that God will complete His work in me, and it’s my joy every day to worship Him.