I now understand what people mean when they say that they are a renewed person in Christ.
Here's my story for you guys :]
I'm not proud of this year. In the least. Or last year for that matter. Here's to sum it all up:
Sophomore
year I got involved with a guy who introduced me into drinking and
drugs. Yeah. It's pretty hard for me to admit but he didn't force me
into it. I made that decision by myself. Although i can say that I felt
that I needed his accceptance by using. I ended up dumping him over the
summer before it got too far [I had enough sense in me to do that]
Junior
year, even though i didn't have "the boyfriend", i got involved in a
different way. Friends. I got more into the partying scene. I stopped
the drugs altogether though. That was a good thing. But it got pretty
bad. On the night of Spring Tolo, I got caught by the cops for drinking
and I got charged with an MIC [Minor in consumption] I'm getting it
deferred and I went though community service and counseling. That was a
pretty hard time for me but i guess that was God's GIANT SLAP TO THE
FACE. I believe that the night i got caught, sitting in that car with a
flashlight to my face .... That was the lowest I've ever been. After
that though, i went to a couple church events. ATF for one.
ATF
taught me that you can't just float by as a Christian, you have to act.
You have to work. After i got home from Acquire the Fire ... well .. on
fire. I picked up my Oswald Chambers [My Utmost for His Highest] and
did a devotion. The very first one i opened to. It taught me that you
can't wait for spiritual highs, they are a special gift from God. But
really, you have to find him in your everyday life. You need to want to
find him, then he will reveal himself to you. I always just asked him
to do the work for me and i just sat there waiting to be blessed with
all he had. That's not the case.
Right now? The place I'm at is
complete peace. I just got back form CFFC [Chinese Family For Christ]
and i met some amazing people and learned some pretty important
lessons. Things like ... How we shouldn't make a way for ourselves in
this life. We shouldn't find significance in anything other than God.
Ah ... Right now i'm really happy. God kicked my butt around 360. He is
just SO FREAKING AWESOME IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY! God is so great. The
story that i can really relate to right now in my life is the Parable
of the Prodigal Son. [Luke 15: 11-32] I understand how the son felt
now. So loved and still so confused at the same time how a father could
love so much that despite how far he'd gone and what he's done that the
father could accept him back into his life in a harbeat.
I hope I never go back to who I was but that I continue on my journey stronger than ever.
Comments (3)
Hey welcome to Revelife.
I love that the Lord was able to use something like ATF to give you a "spiritual high" but I was even more encouraged by what God has been teaching you since.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey! Welcome!
That's really awesome! ATF does some great stuff. :D And I'm glad you're back on track. Keep it up and keep going to God!
ps. I'm slightly biased about ATF because I went on a mission with Teen Mania (Global Expeditions) so I know what it's all about. But I still think they're fantastic.
Each day is opportunity for growth. Like you said, we have to act on those opportunities and not "float by."
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!