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Jesus Changed my Life ∞
Jesus Changed my Life ∞
This story will forever be a moment in time where I was living for something one day and Someone else the next. In August of 2022 (08/25/22), I remember this day as the day that I truly was transformed. I remember it very vividly. It was my fourth day of classes, and I actually woke up late and missed my 8:10am Biology class for my first ever missed class in college. (I know. That is a bad look to professors). My parents worried about me getting to early classes because, let's be honest I am not good with getting up. At this point though, I had been on campus for about 2 weeks settling in, I had met my roommates and had already developed a good reputation from a lot of people in my class at UT and to an outside point of view, I was doing very well.
What people didn't know is that I was looking to be fulfilled by other people's opinions of me, having a good job, having money, and the list can go on. I was seeking to be comfortable, liked (loved), and to not have a worry in the world. Unfortunately, the world cannot promise this. It can only promise emptiness.
At this point in the story, I had somehow convinced a large amount of people in my dorm hall that I was "cool" and "nice", and that I was "interesting" because I was from a far-away land of sweet home California. I had even searched to be liked online from both my old and new friends by making a YouTube account to show the subtle transition of my life (who cared enough to watch). However, even the mask has to come off at some point. I was sad, my friends were all 2200 miles away and these new "friends" were nothing like me and had nothing really in common with me aside from residing in the same city, going to the same school.
Fast forward to after my classes on this day. I had a meeting with this staff member from Cru. Mind you, I had probably told this guy "I'm not interested buddy" (in nicer words of course), about three times. In fact, I actually told him that we can grab coffee to talk about Cru on _____-day, but in reality I had no intention of actually meeting him. That was until I came to the highest point of unfulfillment. I had been away from all of my friends, all of my extended family, and I didn't care about God at this point (though I would say I was a Christian.
Anyways, we met up and his name is Joel. To this day, we are very close friends and I have been very encouraged by his faithfulness. He knew I was just trying to get by and that wasn't interested, even though my claim to faith was a Christian. I remember him asking me something (what it was, I actually don't know). I remember saying this though, "I want to make Jesus known to people." I do not know why I said it or if it was even true. All I know is that, God (not even really in that moment) called me out of my life of making the things of the world my god. He wanted me as one of His people and Him as my God. I rememeber calling my mom (I don't know if she remembers this) and crying and telling her, "I have a purpose." Fast forward to about 7 months later, I was baptized in Destin, Florida in front of my Cru friends and went on mission to Clearwater, Florida and Andrews, North Carolina the same summer. God made it a PRIORITY to make Him known.
What I have come to realize is that life is in Him alone. Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life, and nobody comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Now, I not only go on missions, but I live on mission so that other people may come to know who our God is and have life and experience the gospel's transformative power.
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