DAVID

When I was in high school and early college, I often viewed God as the God of my parents, but not of me. I didn’t like to tell people about my faith. I was afraid of not being accepted, or being seen as some sort of Jesus freak.

During high school, friends of mine knew that my Dad was in ministry, and would sometimes ask me questions about the Bible, Jesus, or my faith. I would say things like I don’t know, and I don’t care, even though I could have answered their questions. After my first year of college, I came across one of my old high school friends. He asked me, “did you hear about John?” I said no what happened? My old friend let me know that John had been killed in a car accident. It didn’t really hit me in that moment. But later, when I was home by myself, I remembered John asking me more than once about Jesus, and I remember being unwilling to share anything with him. I felt so overwhelmed with guilt and shame. I sat in my living room on the floor and sobbed for maybe the first time in my life. A couple of days later my old youth pastor reached out to me and asked if I wanted to go to a youth service. Initially I was hesitant and then he told me about some of my old friends that I would get to see there. So I decided to go.

I sat in the balcony and talked with my friends the whole time. I paid no attention to the preaching, teaching or to the worship. At the end of the service when a number of people had gone to the altar for prayer, all of that guilt and shame came back on me. I felt overwhelmed again. I knew what I needed to do, so I headed down to the altar and I reached my hands up and began to ask for forgiveness . At some point someone came up behind me, put their hand on my shoulder, leaned in close and said, choose you this day whom you will serve. I fell to my knees and began to say over and over and over, I choose you God. I stayed there, kneeling on the floor for maybe an hour.

I made a decision that day to turn my life around. God was no longer the God of my parents. He was my God, my Savior, and my Redeemer. Since then, God has been able to use me to spread His good news, His life-giving message, His hope to many. I now live with a purpose and a passion for this life and the next. I want God to use me to reach as many people as possible.