Being brought up in a Christian family, with my father as a vicar, meant that going to church every Sunday was normal for me. I was taught all the basics, about God and the Bible, and learned to 'believe' in him, but that was pretty much all I thought there was to being a Christian. At the age of 6 I said a prayer that supposedly 'invited Jesus into my life', but this didn't seem to make any difference to me; I still didn't fully understand it and continued to drift for the first few years of my life. life. Everything was pretty 'normal' and my life was no different from anyone else's.
It wasn't until I was 14 that things finally changed when I realized what was missing in my life. After listening to some great speeches and inspirational stories from Christian speakers, the teachings of Jesus suddenly began to make complete sense as I began to understand the true purpose behind the gospels. I found myself filled with the spirit of God which gave me a whole new joy that I had never experienced before, and a confidence to really live what I now truly believed. I knew that God was always with me and that through him I could do anything.
After this, life seemed so different: I had a real relationship with God! And I felt so happy. I also realized the meaning of sin and that I was in fact a sinner, through selfishness and greed, but as a result, I began to understand what it really means to be forgiven, and that is the most amazing thing. Going to church made a lot more sense after that and I started reading more of my Bible, eager to learn more of God's word. Since then, I have learned a lot more about being a Christian with a desire to live it out and, as a result, my faith and relationship with God has grown stronger.
However, this relationship has not always been perfect. Of course, there have been many times when I have gone my own way: many distractions, doubts and temptations have led me astray and left me feeling distant from God. But he has always drawn me to him and helped me learn through my mistakes, each time strengthening my faith.
God has done so many wonderful things in my life. He has helped me through difficult times and answered many prayers, even the little everyday things. At times when I have been very stressed, I learned to surrender all my worries to Him and, as a result, I felt complete peace and joy in the midst of everything that was going on, and that is just amazing! In Jesus I find joy, peace, security and an unwavering love. I have a relationship with a wonderful God who loves me and knows me inside out, and that's all I could ask for!