Here's a short, to the point testimony for ya!
I was in third grade when I first accepted Jesus into my heart. But I had no idea what that meant and really wouldn’t for a fair amount of time. My understanding of who Jesus was, was very limited. As I grew up I did not have much of an identity. I just followed what my friends did. It was the same thing when going to church or youth group. My family kept going and I just tagged along because it was the thing to do. In my teenage years, my life changed dramatically as I began to struggle with pornography and trying to stay pure. I felt I had no one to talk to and feared talking to my parents. I started to feel both physically and morally unclean, and as a result, in my senior year in high school I developed a pretty severe case of obsessive compulsive disorder. I began washing my hands so much that it was more detrimental then beneficial. My dad even clocked me in at 10 minutes one time. I hated it and wondered why God couldn’t just remove my OCD from my life. I took some counseling for some months, and it did help me understand that there wasn't anything bad or wrong with me. However, there was something missing. my habits didn't improve much and it stayed that way for the rest of the year.
So my life moved to college, and I really had no idea why I went. I had no direction and I just felt it was the right thing to do. I had plenty of high school friends who went too, but I honestly questioned what I was doing in college. I didn't have a major picked out and I was guessing at what my path was. One evening though I was studying for a trig test in the union when some wise guy named Pete Youlden came up to me with another guy and asked if he could chat with me. I agreed and he asked me about my faith and went through the Knowing God Personally booklet with me. For those who don't know what that booklet is, basically it sums up the gospel in about 7 short pages or so. In the end I honestly really didn’t comprehend what we had just gone through. I understood what Jesus did was big by dying on the cross, but at the same time I was still ignorant of who he truly was. After we talked, Pete, mentioned a group called Campus Crusade for Christ(Cru) that meets every Tuesday night. And that interested me. A group of Christians who were my age and wanted to worship God. That sounded like a good opportunity to meet some new people. I went every now and then but I never kept going and never made a point to meet new people. My sophmore year came around and I was still trying to figure out what my major should be. I tried going to Cru again, but to no avail. I was scared to try and meet people. I was afraid of branching out. I felt like God was important in my life but I put my life's future before him.
The summer before my junior year had a strange impact on me and would be the point when God got ahold of me. Both my siblings had gotten married that summer. It was a joyous time for our family and I was super stoked that now had both a brother-in-law and a sister-in-law. As my dad and I were just leaving my grandparents to head home, something came over me. My dad looked over at me and asked if I was alright, and I started to tear up a little. It was a feeling I really hadn't felt before. I was overcome with joy at my siblings marriages, and at the same time saddened by the fact that I would not see them as much. And a strange urge came over me and I felt like going to Campus Crusade for Christ and I made it a point to stick with it and keep going that year. The first night I went, I was understandably nervous not expecting to know anyone but I wasn't going to let that stop me. Funny thing though, I found 2 of my friends who I grew up in church with and went to youth group with. That was a big relief. God was really drawing me in that night though, and I felt really comfortable being there. After the meeting, there was an after party so people could mingle a little. And low and behold, God introduced me to three great guys who showed compassion and were very open about their lives. I was blown away at the amount of vulnerability these guys had. One of these guys eventually became my discipler, mentor, and best friend. After that I had to keep going to Cru. That same year God brought me on a trip to Panama City Beach with Cru. The whole trip was meant to train you on how to share your faith and then actually go and do it on the beach with college kids on spring break. I was an amazing experience. The 30 hour bus ride included! After that trip, the whole accepting Jesus as my Savior, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and experiencing God’s never ending love finally started to make sense. For all those who don't know, Jesus was God in the flesh. HA! It just shows how humble and great our Lord is.
Since then 2010 or so there has been many ups and downs. But, I have noticed a healing with my ocd. God has begun to heal me slowly, and all my sins have be washed away because of Jesus Christ since he died for mine and everyone’s sins. Sin no longer has domain over my soul; instead I am lead by the Holy Spirit. And I continually see God’s love throughout my life. So I’ll end with how 1 Peter 4:5 ends. To God be the glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
