I was saved at the early age of four. I saw the love my parents had for this amazing guy named Jesus and I decided I wanted to know him as my parents knew him. I had just learned that I was a sinner that hurt God every time I did something that went against his nature and that he loved me still. I asked God to come into my life and to have a relationship with me as he did with my parents. He gave me the seal of his Holy Spirit and I treated him as my exalted father that I could tell everything to. This relationship continued while he instilled good attributes in me such as love of others, kindness, peace with others, and gentleness.
My father was in the military and was gone many times. I knew that even when he was away my God would look after me as well as my mom. I put my father and mother in a special place in my heart. They loved each other and cared for myself as well as my sisters. My faith was shattered and crumbed when my father issued for a divorce. My mom accepted but was depressed while doing so. Like so many others, I couldn’t believe that God would let this happen to my family. This caused me to reject God’s love and to begin to resent him and his teaching. I still believed he existed and I didn’t commit myself to serving anyone except myself. The fact that I didn’t have any friends because I move to often probably accelerated my downfall. I have been to thirteen schools. This caused a downhill cycle for many years in which I became a person stuck in a cycle of sin.
When my mom and my family moved to Washington State, we went to Turning Point Church. A worship leader there named Peter and I shared a connection through our name and nature. He insisted that I should come to their 628 youth group. I consistently declined until one time I was pressured to do so. Going that once, I convinced myself to come every week but I didn’t come to worship God but to serve myself. The situation that changed me was the day I got caught shoplifting. The undercover security guard that caught me let me go for no particular reason except that he felt sorry for me. I left without getting in trouble at all perplexed. “Why would he do such a thing?” I asked myself.
My youth group led me back to God in sharing their lives with me. God opened my heart and I was brought back into life in God. God restored my love of my family, friends, enemies, and generally everyone around me. He gave me new gifts as well as the ones I experienced as a child. Now God is my best friend and I am growing in knowledge, wisdom, and love with God’s help.