I don’t know where to begin. There is so much that crosses my mind when I read the words MY STORY… Its not just one event or one circumstance that I went through, but as I have come to realize its a lot of little puzzle piece’s that make up my story. The more I reflect on the past and on what God is doing in my life right now I see my story slowly coming together.
I’ll start from the moment I first accepted Jesus Christ into my life.
I remember it was December 1st 2012, one of my co-workers began talking to me about God. It was a very casual conversation but it got me thinking. I asked myself… What are you doing with your life? Why is God not part of it? That very same day I told my co-worker that I wanted to give my life to Christ and so we prayed together and she told me that there was a celebration for me in heaven and that brought me to tears, tears of joy and love.
At that time I remember that things weren’t so great at home, my parents were living under the same roof but hardly spoke to each other, they were also very distant from God and had very little interest in him. I had also recently broken up with a boyfriend at the time and being involved with my church helped me get my mind off of the stress brought on from home and my break up. After I accepted Jesus Christ I had a few close friends who were long time believers tell me that the enemy was going to attack me, that he knew my weaknesses and that he would try his best to make me fall and stray away from the Lord.
I didn’t take the warning lightly but I also didn’t know how much truth was being spoken to me. The enemy did a great job of turning my family against me, they did not like the fact that I was choosing a christian church over the catholic church and discouraged me from going.The enemy knew how vulnerable I was and brought my ex-boyfriend back into the picture. He knew I would lead an ungodly relationship with this person and that I was to weak to fight for my King and that I would choose the desires of my flesh. Over time I stopped attending church, didn’t volunteer and all together went back to my old ways of living.
Fast forward to July 2014
I had been doing things my way I was one foot in and one foot out. I began to once again ask myself… What are you doing? Why have you turned your life away from the Lord? I started to go to church again with a good friend and I asked God to once again come into my life and change me. I told him how I didn’t feel his presence and that I desperately wanted to have a relationship with him again. About a month after I had asked for him to come into my life, while away on vacation I received a phone call, explaining to me that my boyfriend I had been with for the past couple of years had been seeing someone else for the past four months. I didn’t see it then but that was Gods first step in having me draw nearer to him. When I look back at that day,all I picture is me surrendering my whole entire being to him and him taking me in with open arms.
Four months after my breakup God took me on an adventure. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Europe and it was truly an amazing experience. I traveled for a month through Spain,France,Italy,Malta,Amsterdam, and Copenhagen! It was a dream, I met amazing individuals, experienced different ways of life and got to see the variety of cultures that exist. In the midst of it all I learned so much about myself and who I’m becoming through the Lord.It was truly an unforgettable experience and I cant wait feel the same way while on The Race!
I wish I could stop there and say that’s where my story ends, but unfortunately it goes back to a heart wrenching period that I lived and continue to live with on a daily basis. On February 1st 2015 my father was mowing the lawn and accidentally slipped and fell. He lost his balance as he was going down a small bank, as he tried to regain his balance the lawn mower landed on his right foot and sliced his last three toes right off. He was rushed to the hospital and went straight into surgery. It’s been a long healing process for both my father and my family, but as time goes by God gives us the strength to continue moving forward.
So as I look back at My Story and everything I’ve been able to share with you, I can see how all of the pieces to my puzzle are coming together. I can picture Gods bigger plan for me and see how he has strengthened me and shaped me through the difficult and beautiful journey of life.
He is my strength my love and my peace, he dwells in me and is ALIVE in me!
