My Story

I was inspired by Uplifting Tweets to share my testimony…so here goes nothing!

It’s hard to remember a time when Christ wasn’t in my life.  During a Sunday school lesson when I was a Kindergartener, my Sunday school teacher talked about a wonderful friend, named Jesus that we could have in our lives.  She explained to us how we disobey and make him feel sad but He loved us so much that he died to take those sins away.  I wanted to have Jesus be my friend and come into my life, so my Sunday school teacher helped lead me to Christ.

Now fast-forward to fourth grade.  Up until now, I knew Jesus was in my life and I did all the Christian activities (Church, Sunday School, Bible School), but once I hit fourth grade, Christ became a bigger part of my life.  Fourth grade was a tough year for me because I didn’t have many friends and I was pretty depressed.  I even thought about ending my life because I felt so hopeless.  One day when I was feeling pretty depressed, I decided to open up my Bible.  As I read my Bible, God was speaking to me; I realized that Christ wasn’t just some guy I accepted into my life or someone who I sang about at Church—he was my friend.  He cared about me, He had plans for my life, and He was never going to leave me.  I kept reading and reading, and Christ began to lift my spirits and focus my attention on the things that really mattered.

Throughout middle school and high school, I was never alone—Christ was walking with me in the hallways, sitting by me in my classes, and sitting by me in the cafeteria.  He comforted me when I was sad, and He rejoiced with me during celebrations.  It wasn’t easy living for Christ, and he never said it would be easy.  When I stood up for what I believed in, it meant that I wasn’t going to be the most popular kid in my class.  Sometimes I felt pretty alone because my values and faith set me apart from others in my school, but God sustained me through it all.  I came to realize that even though it was hard be different, it was okay with me because I knew it was all worth it to live for Christ.

During high school I was diagnosed with CRPS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, a chronic neurological pain syndrome.  My left foot was in terrible pain and none of the doctors knew what I had, until I found a specialist who diagnosed me with CRPS.  They told me not to research it because there are some pretty scary cases out there. I was told to have a series of nerve block injections and intensive physical therapy.  Praise God, my CRPS went into remission after I received treatment.  If I hadn’t received treatment soon enough that might have not been the case.  God was definitely at work in this situation.  I have struggled with worry and fear all my life, and Christ used this experience to teach me that He would never leave me and that He had everything under control.  My friend Jesus was right by my side through it all!

Now that I am in college, my friend is still with me.  It was really hard leaving home and embarking on a new journey in my life, but I had my best friend (Jesus) by my side and He promises he will never leave me.  I struggle with juggling school, friends, and everything in between, but God brings me strength each morning.  Even now when I am struggling with anxiety, God promises to be with me and encourages me to keep the faith.  I am by no means perfect or have all the answers, but what I do know is God if faithful and He has a perfect plan for our lives.

“Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:10

God has changed my life and I know He can change your life too!  If you would like to have a personal relationship with Jesus, learn more here.