I grew up in church. Mom was the church secretary, Dad was a deacon and Sunday School teacher. The pastor lived down the street. I was in church as much as the doors were open. I learned about God and his Son Jesus from a very young age, and never doubted the truths about what I was being taught. At summer RA camp when I was 8, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and asked him to come into my life. I was baptized soon after and went on growing and learning about God. But then something happened that was just the beginning of a lot of changes in my life…

My parents got divorced when I was about 9 and a half. I was nearly oblivious to the signs that it was coming, and one day, Mom was just gone. She didn’t leave town, we talked to her every couple days, and my sister and I got to see her every week for a few hours, but life was never going to be the same. I became very angry. My dad got remarried and we moved from FL to SC. I managed to get in with the wrong crowd and started becoming someone that I didn’t like very much, and neither did much of anyone else, frankly. Dad’s marriage broke up and it left us all hurting and wondering what was next. Through it all, my dad kept us in church. God’s love was our one constant. I was very blessed to be surrounded by some very caring and Godly people who were willing to love me for who I was and help me through my struggles, and believe me there were many struggles. There were some pretty dark times in there for me, and for my family, but we made it through by the grace of God.

As I grew up more, I realized that I didn’t want to be who I was, and I knew there was something that had to be the key to changing. I can’t tell you the day, or take you to the place, but I know that I finally realized that it was God who would make the difference for me. I knew that I hadn’t been living the life that He called me to when I was young, and I was ready to get back on track. During my junior year in high school, I decided to let go of my anger and allow God to change my heart. In college, I got hooked up with some awesome Christian friends who showed me how to really develop a relationship with God. I got involved with a local church and realized that what was most important in life is growing closer to God and doing things for Him that are going to impact people’s lives for eternity.

Looking back, I can see that those truths about God that I learned as a child still hold. God loves you and me so much that He sent His son to die for us. That love never changes or goes away, no matter what. He’s always there, just waiting for us to come and ask if we can share in it.