I have been redemed!!

This was a paper that the freshman class was asked to do as an assignment for our Evangelism class. We were asked to write our testamony of how we came to know and accept Christ. I thought that all of you might like to know about it as well!

Here's my story:

I was raised in a Christian Home. We never missed a Sunday church service unless we were sick. It had became a routine that a desired to achieve. I got used to acting good at church but at home I was a total jerk. I had no respect for anyone that I lived with. At church I would say that everything was okay but deep down something was really wrong. I knew what the bible said and had real good knowledge of the crucifixion of Christ but I didn’t realize that what it had to say was written for me. I found it irrelevant to life but because of the way I grew up I just accepted it.

One summer, when I was 12, I went to a girls’ camp in my home town. That week we had a ceremony for the middle school girls. We were instructed to draw a perfect picture and were given all the tools necessary to perform the task but only had one sheet of paper. She was going to judge them and they good would be on onside and the good on the other. So we sat around the camp fire drawing whatever came to mind. I was a horrible drawer but I did the best I could. When I presented my picture to the counselor she told me that it didn’t meet her standards. She told me that all my effort wasn’t good enough. I put 100% into my drawing and it still wasn’t enough? After she looked at all the pictures everyone made it to the bad-side.

There was a penalty for not drawing a good picture. You had to be splashed with water. It was the only way. So she called the first two people up while she stood behind them. They stayed dry but the counselor got wet! The counselor shared just as she took the water for the girls’ bad picture God took the death for out sin when He was on the cross. I was the only way for our sins to be covered in His eyes. We have a chance to either accept it our ignore it. Just like we had one sheet of paper, God has given us one life to accept His gift. With all the things that humans think are good they aren’t good enough to stand before a righteous God. I was beginning to understand that everything that I did, in front of God was filthy rages. How terrible my works must look in front of Him. I went back to my cabin that night with an upset stomach. I had heard this many times before. Why is it not making sense to me?

After wrestling with this for two days it was time to head home. I left camp missing it a lot. I can remember crying and saying that I didn’t want to leave when my mom assured me that I would be returning there next year and that I needed to stop crying. I was trying to forget about the ceremony, but it wasn’t leaving my mind. That was the first time I truly understood Christ’s purpose to His life. I went a whole year of trying to fight this battle between me and God. I was trying to reject Christ and go my own way. Should I just accept it? Is what she was talking about really true? It sounded so good I couldn’t believe that we didn’t have to do anything to earn it. It was a free gift.

There was this struggle inside me that continued for almost a whole year. There was a time where I some time to look at my life. It just wasn’t making me happy. There were many things that I didn’t like and wondered why they happened to me. I was angry with the people around me and felt alone and abandoned. I became overwhelmed with the struggle with in me and gave in! I realized that I wasn’t good enough and needed help to get out of my trouble. I had a friend who I became close to over the previous year while I was faking my relationship with Christ. She wanted to be there for us and made it clear that we could talk to her about anything. She came to my mind one Sunday so I went to church that night looking for. I had to talk to her! I came to church with the intentions of pulling her aside right away but I was afraid so I sat down in the pew and figured that the situation would ware off given time. It wasn’t that important anyway. It didn’t! In fact it became worse. I took a glance across the church, saw my friend and literally ran over to her. I asked if I could talk to her in this voice that made it urgent. We walked out of the sanctuary and into the kitchen and flat out told her that I what I was going through my mind. I knew that I was lost in sin and would not be with my Savior for eternity. I knew that a relationship was what God wanted with me but He was just waiting for me to call on Him for it to begin. I proceeded to talk to God and tell Him my choice and that I wanted to revolve my life around Him. I still have troubles in my life and things that I wrestle with but I am resting assured that Christ is enough for me and that He will be there when I need Him. He is everything that I need and more!