my testimony.

Christianity is a very important thing in my life. Throughout the course of my nineteen years here on earth I have been reminded time and time again that it is impossible to live a life without Christ in my life. I have attended church for as long as I remember. The memories of going to Sunday school every week still replays in my mind every now and then. Though, I had been going to church since my childhood days it was not until my freshmen year in high school that I realized what it meant to truly have a relationship with Christ.
I have gone to a private Christian school for all of my academic career with the exception of third grade, of which I begged my parents to let me “try it out.” I hated it to say the least. Being an attendee of a Christian school for almost all of my life I thought I knew everything I had to in order to be a “superstar Christian.” This mentality that I held however was changed once I attended my first chapel service at my high school, Linfield Christian.
I remember to the tee my experience of my first chapel there. The worship team was incredible. The passion they had for serving was so intense that I could feel their enthusiasm for the Lord. The students seemed overly excited. The first few friends I made were solid Christian girls. I am forever grateful that I sat next to them because the way they worshipped forced me to stop and think how exactly a “Christian life” should look like. It was in the middle of a song that one of my friends began to lift her hands up and just shout praises for God and sing her heart out. I will admit I felt a little uncomfortable at first because never in all of my 14 years of attending church had I ever seen anyone so passionate about Christ. I was so amazed! From then on I became more observant of how these girls led their lives. I looked up to them even though we were the same age.
From the summer of my freshmen year to recently has been a rough time for me as far my family life is concerned. Long story short, home was not so sweet. As a freshman I was swimming in a pool of emotions unable to figure out what exactly was going on in my life and how I could possibly get through it. I am the type of person that does not like to ask for help especially with emotional issues. However, it was not until I could not take it anymore that I decided to talk to one of my teachers about it. His name was Melvin Cratsley, one of the most favored teachers at Linfield. Mr. Cratsley changed my life immensely. He guided me in finding hope in Christ by mentoring me during this difficult time. If it were not for him I honestly do not think I would have made it this far.
It was the beginning of February at a winter retreat that Linfield holds yearly that I made the decision to recommit my life to God. It was one of the best feelings I have ever felt knowing that God through all my failures sent his one and only Son to live a perfect life and die for my sins just so that I would have the opportunity to live eternally with him. I decided that the best thing that I could do in return for him was life a life that honored him and constantly gave him glory.
Since that day, I have been dedicated to live a life that illuminates his love. There have many times that I have failed but this has not stopped me from standing for his name. Until the day I die, I will be forever committed to him.


**written for JRN 412