Both of my parents are Christians. I grew up going to church, and when I was 7, my mom prayed with me, asking Jesus to ""come into my heart."" But I didn't know what that meant.
For ten years I went to church and heard all about God and His Son, Jesus. I tried to be a good girl, reading the Bible, telling other people about Jesus, hanging out with other Christians. However, in my heart I was arrogant, selfish, and judgemental. I tried to obey the commands that God gives us in the Bible, and I thought I was doing a good job of that. I was not happy, though, and I didn't understand why God seemed so far away.
When I was 17 years old, I finally realized that I could never obey all of God's commands; I realized that I was hopelessly flawed. It was at that same moment that I understood that Jesus was the only one who ever could be perfect and obey God in everything He did. According to the Bible, I deserved death for my disobedience, but I knew that Jesus--the perfect one--had already taken that death punishment for me. I asked Him to forgive me for my mistakes and to give me a new life in Him. He has!
Since that time, I have been getting to know who Jesus really is instead of just learning facts about Him. I spend time every day reading the Bible and studying His life. When I am worried about something, I tell Him and ask Him to take care of the situation for me. When I am glad about something that happens, I thank Him for it. I also hang out with other people who are seeking to know God, and who will encourage me.
Right now, God is teaching me to have peace and to trust Him even in the middle of circumstances that confuse and frighten me. He is the one part of my life that is always constant--He never changes, and He will never abandon me.
I know that I will be learning and growing and changing throughout my life. The thing that excites me is that God promises to be faithful to me--He won't give up on me when I make mistakes, but instead He will continue to teach me and change me to be more like Him.
And that is my story so far.
