03 Jun My Redemption Story: How I came to faith in Christ
I grew up in a Christian home from the time I was four. My family attended charismatic churches that put a significant emphasis on hearing from God through extrabiblical prophecy, healing services, and speaking in tongues. The Bible was hardly ever opened. At the age of seven, I was baptized, although I had no idea what faith in Christ looked like at that point in my life.
As I grew, I thought of myself as a “pretty good kid.” I was well-behaved, I liked to please my parents, I wasn’t rebellious, and I generally tried to help and care for those around me. However these actions came from a heart of pride. I felt that I was better than others, and I loved recognition for a job well done. No one could see that it came from a proud heart, but the biggest problem was that I couldn’t see it either. I was utterly blind to my own wretchedness.
When I was fourteen, my family and I had an opportunity to attend a church water ski camp. It didn’t seem like a big deal to me because I had been to various summer camps before, and they were always fun. I looked forward to going to this camp as I had never water skied before. My parents were attending to help out with maintenance and kitchen duty.
During the week of camp, the pastor spoke from God’s Word every night after dinner, which was an entirely different experience for my whole family. We learned a great deal that week about God, His Word, and His promises to all believers. That week, I prayed and asked God to forgive me, not just for the external sins, but also for the internal sin because God’s Word had convicted my proud heart.
Since that week, my life has changed. I struggle with sin, but I struggle because I am aware of it in my life. Before I was saved, I compared myself to others, and because I thought I was better than them, I felt that I didn’t need to confess sin. But now I know that I am compared to Christ, who was perfect and without sin. When I compare my life to God’s holiness, I fall short every time. However, these shortcomings make me so grateful for Christ’s work on the cross because I cannot do anything to save myself. Without Him, I would still be sitting there, unaware of my sin, and so prideful that no one would want to be around me!
I will never forget that pivotal week in my life. Not only was it the week I met my now husband, but it was also the week that I came to understand what true faith in Christ meant. It was the week I repented of my sins and believed that Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection were the only way for me to spend eternity in heaven.
