Hope for Tomorrow
I remember waking up and not wanting to get out of bed. I couldn’t take it anymore. I didn’t want to live. My mother died after she gave birth to my sister. I was seven. My dad couldn’t fill the void she had left. I was so tired of being sad all the time.
As a teenager I was extremely depressed. At fourteen I began to experiment with drinking. I was searching for something to null the pain and fill the emptiness in my life. I needed someone to love me. I was at the end of my rope.
I desperately cried, “Lord I am willing to give you all the pain and hurt of my life. I need your love. Lead me to a church where there are young people who will understand and love me.” I was invited to a friend’s church a couple of weeks later. As soon as I went in the door I felt at home. Later, I asked Jesus to come into my life and I committed myself to living for Him.
I gradually overcame my depression through the help of a Christian counselor in the church. I have truly become a new person in Christ. I have found a new self-confidence and an ability to hope again.
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. 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.
