Another Chapter in the Story of Life

Photo courtesy of Collin Geldmeier

I have written before about how I came up with the title of this blog and how every one of our individual stories plays a special role in God's story. I would like to share a little of my story with you. The reason I am choosing to share now is because I am getting baptized next month and am very excited about it. I have been wanting to do this for a long time, but for a variety of reasons, it hasn't happened yet. The reason I am so excited is because I feel like especially the last few years, I have not been a good representation of a person in a relationship with Christ and I am ready for that to change. I want people to see and hear Jesus in my actions and my words. I am looking forward to the extra accountability that comes with being baptized and making that public declaration of my faith. I want it to mark a turning point in my life and a step further in spiritual maturity and my own walk with Jesus. That being said, let me tell ya a short story...

Having grown up in a Christian home, I told myself and others that I was a Christian pretty much my whole life. I could memorize verses like a champ and flip to them in the Bible at lightning speed. I could tell you books of the Bible in order and summarize all the different stories in the Bible. However, all that aside, I didn't really get it. I thought I did, but I didn't. I had heard stories about what happens to people who aren't "saved" and I didn't want that to be me, so I prayed "the" prayer just about every chance I had. As the years went on, I had many doubts about my faith and about how genuine it was. Something still just felt like it was missing, but I would try to convince myself otherwise...

Over the years, life happened, and like many sophomores in high school, I felt lost and completely spent (emotionally, spiritually). February of my sophomore year, a speaker came to speak for our spiritual emphasis week. I had listened to him in chapel, and one day, I was listening to him speak about the RELATIONSHIP aspect of Christ and about how much love God has for us and how much He cares for us as individuals....my life, your life....the more the speaker talked, the faster my heart raced. It finally made sense. I finally understood what I had been missing. It was that day that I wholeheartedly accepted the gift of salvation, and I have not doubted my faith ever since...

About a month later, I went on a choir trip to Barbados. Throughout the week, we did our own daily quiet times, then met with small groups, and met with large group at night. Through a series of different things that happened that week, God really broke me. I never have been one to cry easily, and I had a total melt down. I felt like God really used that time to change me for the better, and to mold me into more of His likeness. It was a major turning point in my new walk with Christ and was probably one of the most difficult, yet most rewarding moments I've had. God has blessed me abundantly, and His grace is SO amazing that it's hard to describe, and I want to live my life in a way that glorifies Him and who He is in my life. Thanks for listening, and may you find joy in your own journey!