-I recently had a chance to reconnect with friends from the PHS Class of 2006, many of whom I had not seen or spoken to in four years. I ended up writing this one extensive letter to a friend about how CRAZY my life has been in college, which obviously involved the story of how I became a Christian. So here we go, the testimony of how I came to know Christ :P-
I came into college just wanting to live the life I've always wanted to live, apart from restrictions and previous conceptions of who people expect me to be, and the like.. Just came in to do well in school, make some solid friends, and bounce--but MAN my life got flipped upside down in my time here, largely because at the end of my freshman year I decided to commit my life to following Jesus.
No God?
I grew up in an atheist/agnostic family--never even considered the existence of a God (yet alone feel the need to live my life for this so-called higher being). Then in high school I started asking myself some big questions like "What is the purpose or meaning of my life?" and felt an empty void in my heart even though I felt like I had everything I could ask for (good grades, family, friends, etc). That's when some of my friends suggested that what I was missing was this three letter word I constantly shrugged off (G-O-D). From the first time I stepped into a church building my sophomore year in HS, I always had the desire to learn more about this so-called God but never found it to be personally relevant. I would hear the same things like Jesus died for your sins, God loves you, repent for your sins, etc--but it never really clicked.
Passion
My first year in college I somehow ended up in a church (c'mon who comes to college with the intention of getting more religious), and not just any church but a church made up of people who were radically living for Jesus. I would walk into a Friday gathering and half the room would be raising their hands and passionately worshiping this Jesus-figure I had only heard of; people would pray desperate, zealous prayers on my behalf; people would give sacrificially of their time, resources, and even their plans to serve others and build up the church. It was CRAZY! I didn't know what was compelling them to live such passionate and radical lives, but whatever it was, I wanted in. They just seemed so sure, so confident of what they were living for.
Grace
I didn't know what it meant to be saved or what it meant to even have a personal relationship with Jesus until someone asked me if I knew for sure I'd go to heaven if I were to die tonight. When they asked me what I would say if God asked me why He should let me into heaven, my immediate responses were 'Um well I've been a good person all my life--I don't cheat, I don't lie, I don't drink THAT much.. C'mon, why WOULDN'T I go to heaven?' I soon found out salvation wasn't based on how good of a life I lived, but by merely accepting the fact that Jesus Christ died for all my sins of the past, present, and future--and resurrected from the dead to give me eternal life. It all seemed so simple, too good to be true--why would anyone say no to this free gift?!! So I said yes to having Jesus reign as the King over my life and it's been a CRAZY three years since.
What amazes me over and over again is how there have been so many seemingly "little" events that led me to the current stage I am in now of joyfully and victoriously submitting my life to Jesus. One specific example is regarding a book called the Purpose Driven Life. During the summer days when I went to B&N everyday to run through every SAT practice exam, I stumbled across a book in the bestseller section. I had never heard of it before but started reading the synopsis on the back--it started with a statement "Are you looking for your purpose in life??" "UM YES?!!" I bought the book, finished the whole thing, and didn't think much of it. Years later, I found out I read The Purpose Driven Life by a well-known Christian pastor named Rick Warren.
Many more of these specific stories are listed on the bottom of my previous post. Ask me to elaborate if you want to hear more :)
I came into college just wanting to live the life I've always wanted to live, apart from restrictions and previous conceptions of who people expect me to be, and the like.. Just came in to do well in school, make some solid friends, and bounce--but MAN my life got flipped upside down in my time here, largely because at the end of my freshman year I decided to commit my life to following Jesus.
No God?
I grew up in an atheist/agnostic family--never even considered the existence of a God (yet alone feel the need to live my life for this so-called higher being). Then in high school I started asking myself some big questions like "What is the purpose or meaning of my life?" and felt an empty void in my heart even though I felt like I had everything I could ask for (good grades, family, friends, etc). That's when some of my friends suggested that what I was missing was this three letter word I constantly shrugged off (G-O-D). From the first time I stepped into a church building my sophomore year in HS, I always had the desire to learn more about this so-called God but never found it to be personally relevant. I would hear the same things like Jesus died for your sins, God loves you, repent for your sins, etc--but it never really clicked.
Passion
My first year in college I somehow ended up in a church (c'mon who comes to college with the intention of getting more religious), and not just any church but a church made up of people who were radically living for Jesus. I would walk into a Friday gathering and half the room would be raising their hands and passionately worshiping this Jesus-figure I had only heard of; people would pray desperate, zealous prayers on my behalf; people would give sacrificially of their time, resources, and even their plans to serve others and build up the church. It was CRAZY! I didn't know what was compelling them to live such passionate and radical lives, but whatever it was, I wanted in. They just seemed so sure, so confident of what they were living for.
Grace
I didn't know what it meant to be saved or what it meant to even have a personal relationship with Jesus until someone asked me if I knew for sure I'd go to heaven if I were to die tonight. When they asked me what I would say if God asked me why He should let me into heaven, my immediate responses were 'Um well I've been a good person all my life--I don't cheat, I don't lie, I don't drink THAT much.. C'mon, why WOULDN'T I go to heaven?' I soon found out salvation wasn't based on how good of a life I lived, but by merely accepting the fact that Jesus Christ died for all my sins of the past, present, and future--and resurrected from the dead to give me eternal life. It all seemed so simple, too good to be true--why would anyone say no to this free gift?!! So I said yes to having Jesus reign as the King over my life and it's been a CRAZY three years since.
What amazes me over and over again is how there have been so many seemingly "little" events that led me to the current stage I am in now of joyfully and victoriously submitting my life to Jesus. One specific example is regarding a book called the Purpose Driven Life. During the summer days when I went to B&N everyday to run through every SAT practice exam, I stumbled across a book in the bestseller section. I had never heard of it before but started reading the synopsis on the back--it started with a statement "Are you looking for your purpose in life??" "UM YES?!!" I bought the book, finished the whole thing, and didn't think much of it. Years later, I found out I read The Purpose Driven Life by a well-known Christian pastor named Rick Warren.
Many more of these specific stories are listed on the bottom of my previous post. Ask me to elaborate if you want to hear more :)
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