From Trials to Triumphs: My Story of Finding Christ

After several spiritual encounters as a child I decided early that there had to be a God in heaven. When I was twelve, my parents showed no interest in Christianity, so I would search the couch for change on Sunday mornings and catch two buses to church. It was the catholic church/school my parents scrimped to send us to, and it wasn't my first choice, but I could not resist the urge- the hunger- to find out who was this God that was whispering in my soul for as long as I could remember.

As with most people, I turned a deaf ear after I hit puberty and discovered boys and pop culture. Along with this new list of altered priorities came a world of trouble, and I gave birth to my first child at the tender age of sixteen. Five years, an abusive relationship and another child later, I found my self hiding from a man that I'd once wanted to marry.

Funny how we really do know right from wrong yet choose the latter. That whole time I held my New Testament Psalms and Proverbs bible close to my heart. I even would mention to people how we'd all have it so much easier if we obeyed the Word. It's true what they say- one never really can get away from one's roots.

I decided to take back some control of my life and enrolled in college. On my mother's advice I started going to a local church and began to tithe. It was another catholic church and the boys loved slamming the kneeling pad to make echoes. In my heart I told God that I needed something different now. Something deeper.

One day, I stood confused at the wrong bus stop on my way to a doctor appointment. For the life of me I could not move. It was as if a hand rested on my head and planted my feet to the pavement. Soon a group of teenagers walked by and handed me a flier. It was an invitation to a Christian concert at a local riverfront park. At the concert we all received an invitation to a tent meeting later that day. The rest is history... or my-story.

I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and since then it has been an amazing journey. It's been fourteen years since I made the most important decision in my life and I don't regret one minute.