I Nearly Gave Up on God
Note: Due to his request, the person’s name who told us his life story has been withheld.
“The Christian faith doesn’t seem to make any practical difference.” That’s how I felt about Christianity for most of my life.
From when I was born in the Middle East to when I came to North America as a young boy, I lived with my Christian family and adopted the usual Christian traditions. But that’s all they were to me: traditions. I lived as a Christian just to keep my parents happy.
By the time I turned 19 I started to think more seriously about religion, and more specifically about my own faith. I had basically come to a point of desperation, and I wanted to know if Christianity was really true or not. If it wasn’t, I didn’t want to follow it anymore because I felt it would just be a waste of time.
I wondered if possibly another religion could be true, like Islam, or maybe something else. A lot of people in my extended family are Muslim, so I started reading about other faiths. I did not find any of these satisfying however, and nearly gave up on God altogether.
Then I was invited to attend a youth conference, where young people from all around the world gathered to worship God with each other. During the weekend that I was there, I found there was a real atmosphere of worship. Many of the people I met there seemed to have something that I didn’t.
While I was at the conference I opened myself up to hear and experience what God had to tell me. During this time, God filled me in a powerful way, and I no longer had any doubt that God is real and that my Christian faith was true. From then until today, I knew that my faith would no longer be a small part of my life anymore, and that it would really begin to make a difference.
That was over two years ago now, and that change that I felt that day hasn’t worn off. My life has continued to be changed as I continue to walk with God and learn from Him. And although my faith has been repeatedly tested, I cannot avoid the conclusion that I have experienced God and that He is with me today and forever. I now try to live my life as a good example to others so that they will be inspired to seek after the wonderful truth that I have found.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times.
There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. You are embarking on a whole new life, maybe this is the time to invite God to be a part of it. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
Image credit: Pensiero
