being set free
I grew up going to church and having a vague knowledge about God. To me church was a place of ceremony, robes, incense and rules. For several years, my family went to a Christian summer camp. Each year I would respond for prayer and go home determined to change my life and live for God. Trying to be “good” just didn’t last long and I would quickly slip back into my old ways.
distant
I eventually stopped going to church when I was 13 years old following a series of sad events including the sudden death of my granddad. I judged God by my experiences of life and church – distant, uncaring and having rejected me. For the next 5 years I swamped myself in things to try and make me feel good– achieving high grades at school, drinking, and boyfriends.
a personal intimacy
Upon arriving at university, I found myself surrounded by Christians. I was struck by their relationships with God – a personal intimacy, rather than trying to live up to a set of rules. I started going to church again and learnt about how Jesus had come to earth and died, paying the price for sin. But did it apply to me?
set free
I had been angry with God for years holding him to blame for all the bad things that had happened in life. Could he really forgive me? I asked him- I confessed all of the things that I’d done – the lies, the anger..... and I knew I was forgiven. I was baptised as a symbol of my old life being buried, and I truly have felt free since that day.
new hope
Encountering God, experiencing his love and being set free from the guilt of the past radically changed me. It’s not about a set of rules or being a “good” person, rather it is all about Jesus and what he’s done on the cross. I now have a personal relationship with God and a new hope and security built upon him.
