Ryan's Profile: Beyond the External and into the Eternal
I used to try to fill the void I felt in my heart with external stuff… I was all about the hard Nirvana music, thinkin’ about girls, making lots of money, sports… but none of these things worked…
>For security I pretty well put my trust in my stuff as many people do. I would find confidence when I looked at pictures of some friends and I, reminding myself that I had friends, that I was cool and accepted. Happiness was always when the money came in. I found much happiness in money.
>One day, I got an invitation from some youth leaders asking me to come out for some fun and food at the local Church. I was curious, so I went.
>Before going to this youth night, I thought that God and Jesus were these good dudes and stuff, but I didn’t really know the real them. They were kinda like a Santa Claus or the Easter bunny or something, you know, good guys.
But starting that night, I began learning more about Jesus and who he really was. I learned that God sent him to live a perfect life on earth, to die a death he didn’t deserve, and come back to life — all to bridge the gap between us as people and God by paying the price of our rebellion of turning against God.
Two years later I asked Jesus to come into my life and I committed my life to God, turning it over to him.
>Of course I struggle with my faith. The road to eternal life and knowing God personally is not the easiest one, but it is the most fulfilling one you’ll ever walk.
>The way I live has caused many people to ask "How do you do it?" and "How do you keep up?".
God is my Creator and I’m learning to let Him make me the person that He wants me to be. I’m learning that if we try to do everything on our own, we will always be stressed out to the max, but if we let the God take the brunt of our stresses and we trust that he will make happen what is right, things in life will be much easier to endure.
>As a student there are many different things that go on around campus and so many people to meet, but with faith, I remember that God has the best plan for me, so I’m not as overwhelmed by all the different things that university life can throw at me.
>Spirituality has everything to do with my life and the decisions I make as a student. I’m reminded of a visual aid in which there are two types of life: Self directed and Christ directed. When your life is self directed, things will fall apart and God is on the outside of regular life. But if Christ is directing your life, all the things in your life now have a purpose and a direction, led by God according to his best plan because he loves you!
>A personal relationship with God is the most wonderful thing you could ever have — it gives you the ability to experience God’s love, His plan for your life and eternal life. Is anything else needed?
Related reading:
- Questions about spirituality? Read our spirituality articles
- What’s your Spiritual Interest Quotient? Take our SIQ quiz and find out
- How you can know God personally
- Back to Student Profiles
Copyright iamnext.com 2003. May not be reprinted without permission.