Since the day I was born, God called dibs on my heart. He claimed me as His daughter. Even though before the age of 8 I had gone to church maybe three times, I clearly remember feeling His love and even praying to Him when I was alone in my room. Even though I barely knew Him, I knew He was good.
When my family moved from Virginia to Ohio, we began to attend a Methodist church. Despite being years ago, I remember one specific sermon like it was yesterday. My pastor talked about how everyone should strive to know God deeper and deeper every single day. We are His students and we should learn from His word and His love. I was determined to be God’s best student ever. About a year later, my parents decided that they no longer wanted to attend this church for numerous reasons, but that one sermon left me yearning for more.
I made the decision that if my family wasn’t going to go to church, I’d just have to go by myself! At the age of 9, I began attending a Presbyterian church. Luckily, I ended up knowing one girl who was in my fourth grade class. (Side-note: She and I have now been best friends for 13 years and are current roommates!!) I continued to attend that church until I graduate high school.
When I left for college, something in my relationship with God changed. It turned from a relationship in which I only reverently respected God to a relationship in which I pursued God with my entire being. And every single year of college, I found myself wanting to know God in every single way: as my creator, my protector, and my best friend. I craved His love. One night during worship, the band began to play “How He Loves”, a song I have heard many times, but this time was different. In that moment I knew God was equally adamant about pursuing me as I was about pursuing Him. This desire is so unyielding! Since that night, my heart has been overflowing with the joy in the knowledge of Him pursuing me too. Now I feel as though He is calling me to go out into the world to show everyone the love of our Father, and how much He desires for them to be children of the Kingdom as well.
