Everybody has a story – whether that be about your success or your trials, your achievements or your hardships, about how you made it out of bed this morning or about how you landed your dream job. We should never underestimate the power of sharing our stories, because what might seem mundane or normal to us, could be a massive encouragement for somebody else.
Today, I'd like to share with you what I've called My Journey To Faith, which is basically just the account of how, and why, I became a Christian. The reason that I'm doing this today is because it is officially thirteen years to the day since I took this decision, and I want to share with you all a bit about my experiences so far.
So to begin, what actually is a Christian?
Quite simply, a Christian is someone who believes in God and has made the decision to trust Him for ourselves, believing that He sent His Only Son Jesus to earth two thousand years ago to live a perfect life, so that He could die on a cross. Why is Someone dying good news? Because through Jesus' death, He made the way clear for us to come to God. God is perfect, He's never done anything wrong, and because every human has done at least one thing wrong in their lives, whether that be telling a lie all the way up to committing murder, we cannot be with God. But because Jesus lived a perfect life, He was able to die a perfect death, taking the punishment that we deserve for the wrong things that we've done on Himself, so that if we ask Him to, He can forgive us. And then three days later, Christians believe that Jesus rose again, showing that He has power over death, which means that if we trust Him and ask for His forgiveness, then when life on earth ends, He will give us eternal life with Him in heaven. And so believing this and asking God to enter our lives, is very simply how you become a Christian.
However, about my own story...
I was brought up in a Christian family, and I went to church every Sunday, as well as reading the Bible and praying with my Mum and siblings every day, so this is something that I was surrounded with for as long as I can remember. On the other hand, doing all of these things didn't make me a Christian, because it's not about what we do, but about relying on what Jesus has already done for us, and how we respond to that.
I made the decision to put my trust in God personally when I was four years on – the 1st of February, 2012. The way that I did this was that I simply prayed, which is what we call talking to God, and I told Him that I believed He had sent Jesus to die for me, and I thanked Him for that, apologised for the wrong things that I'd done in my life, and asked Him to forgive me for them.
So, that was that - I was a Christian. Surely it doesn't need to affect me anymore because I know that I'm forgiven?
Well truth be told, I've experienced a lot of ups and downs in my faith – for a long period of time, about four years, I stopped believing due to confusion in how it could possibly be true when there were so many other religions out there.
I wanted to believe because it was what I'd always been taught was true, but deep down inside I had my doubts. I wondered, what happens if one day I die and it isn't true and I don't go to heaven?
Besides that, I'd done a lot of things that I knew were wrong in my life already – I'd told lies, I'd argued with my siblings, I'd disobeyed my parents – so how could God forgive me even if He was real?
I can't put an exact date on when I came back to believing what I do today, but what I can say now is that I have experienced such a peace and conviction that I am saved by God, and I no longer fear death, because I know where I'm going when I do die.
Something that helped with giving me this assurance was a quote that I heard in a talk once – before I was even born, Jesus had already died. God knows all of the wrong things I'm going to do that I haven't even committed yet, but He still loves me despite them, and because He knows everything, He sent Jesus to die and rise again for the things that I haven't even done yet, meaning that my salvation (God's forgiveness towards me) doesn't rest on the amount of good things I can do, but it rests solely on what Jesus has already done for me. So I don't need to worry anymore, because Jesus has forgiven me for every thing I've ever done wrong, and every wrong thing that I ever will do, because that's what God does when you ask Him to.
But being a Christian doesn't just end there. Yes, that's how God saves you, but because of the amazing gift that He has given me of eternal life in heaven, where everything is perfect, I now want to live for Him with the time that I have on earth.
Does being a Christian make life itself any easier?
The truthful answer is no – I still go through hard times, I still struggle, but I know that through everything, God is with me and He will help me whenever I ask Him to.
Late in 2024 my Grandma passed away, which was such a difficult thing to lose someone so close to you, however I know that one day I will see my Grandma again in heaven, therefore even in the midst of grief, I can have peace, knowing that she is safe with God.
There's a verse in the Bible which says – 'I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'
This verse symbolises the fact that as a Christian, I have died to my old way of life, and I now want to live a life full of God, showing love to others even if they're unkind to me, knowing that God loves them too. Because one of the most famous verses in the Bible says – 'For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.'
And God's love for the whole world includes me, and it includes you, and I want to be a light in this world, sharing that love with others and ultimately showing them how they can have hope even when life is really rough.
There was actually a lot more that I wanted to share but I feel like this article is already quite long so I'll hold off, but if you have any questions about what I've said then feel free to drop them into the comments section below and I'll give you a reply. Thank you for reading this part of my story, and don't be afraid to tell your own, because you never know the hope it might give to somebody else.
Thank you for sharing your personal journey Naomi, regardless of anyone's faith you're right in that it is so important to have hope which helps us get through the rough.