Testimony

I was born and raised in a Christian Home and I can honestly say that I’m so fortunate to have been raised in such an environment. I was exposed to Christian Doctrine and the church early on, but of course as a child, I never really understood quite the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross. I was a kid so I did dumb things like steal from my mom, and my thought life was a mess. I worried and I was terrified of death. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and going to my mom’s room and just telling her that I’m afraid of dying.

When I was seven I contracted pneumonia. It was the strain that wouldn’t be crippling in adults, but as a child, it was potentially lethal. The Dr. tried a type of antibiotic but what was in my lungs didn’t go away so I was hospitalized. In the hospital he tried a number of other antibiotics intravenously, but it did not work either. I didn’t know it at the time but my condition was serious and my mother and father prayed earnestly that I would get through it. I remember old women standing next to my bed and saying I should ask Jesus into my heart and I’ll be saved. Praise to God, He saved me. The doctor, as a last resolve before sending me to a children’s hospital, he tried erythromycin (the first antibiotic) intravenously and it worked. God healed me through the antibiotic.

I started thinking about what the old women had said and I lived my life like a Christian not really understanding. I believed that Jesus did die to save me and be my Lord, but it wasn’t real to me. I truly made the decision to give my life to my Savior was when I went to a conference. The speaker came around to people and asked if anyone needed any prayer and said I wanted to be saved and I started crying. I felt the Holy Spirit moving through me and then I knew. It was real to me and I realized that my life is nothing without Christ.

I’m not perfect and my life hasn’t been perfect, but slowly and surely, God is breaking me and molding me into something he can use. I’m a very serious person and I sometimes read too much into some situations and I worry too much and it’s a sin that I continually struggle with. I remember talking to my mom and she gave me this passage:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7