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Monday, 17 November 2008 18:20 |
I believe in God because ...At one time I was convinced that I was less than average and not worth much. I felt that to get the best from life you needed to be ruthless and or selfish. I was not very good at being like that, so felt that I’d have to put up with second best in life.
What happiness I did get from life came from other people’s approval of me. I would often compromise on my view just to fit in with people. The result was a life shaped by fitting in with other people. There was little room for me. When I reacted against this I’d end up antagonising the same people whose approval I craved.
I felt out of place, I struggled to make sense of where I fitted in and what life was all about. Then I heard some friends talking about God and what it meant to be a Christian. They spoke about being accepted and finding a purpose in life. I realised that I did not have any real sense of purpose in my life.
I debated with my friends, what they had sounded too good to be true. Anyway who wants to go to church? As they talked to me I realised that they had a sense of who they were that came from being loved and accepted. They told me that, they were like that because they felt loved by God. They explained who Jesus was and why people needed to get to know him.
I was intrigued but convinced that they were really just fooling themselves. I could not see the relevance of someone who lived 2000 years ago to my situation. But inside I still knew they had something that I wanted.
My friends explained that sin damages all of us. Both the sins done to us, and the sins we commit shape who we are. I knew that they had put their finger on something, so I went to a couple of CU meetings, at each meeting I felt an increasing curiosity and excitement, until one day decided to try this Christian thing. I prayed a halting prayer I confessed my own wrong doings, and said ‘OK Jesus if you are there I’d like some help!’
I felt very peaceful following this, but nothing spectacular happened. A few days later I realised that the peace was still there and that actually I was feeling OK about being me. I also became more confident, I began to pray and I found I could just be ‘me’ around people.
This development continued, and as it did I found that I liked people for who they were. Prior to that I’d only thought about how I might fit in with people, but not much about what they were like. My sense of self worth grew, and my feelings of being less than average shrank. I now know that my problem was guilt. Every wrong thing I did, I counted as a point against me, and I assumed (wrongly); that other people were not like that.
As I’ve grown as a Christian, I have found myself enjoying being me, and enjoying being loved by God. Prayer is now a two way conversation with someone who loves me.
About a year after becoming a Christian I realised that my view on life had been completely transformed, I loved being me and being around people, I did not need to shape who I was to fit in with them. Paradoxically as I’d stopped compromising on me, more people had accepted me.
I know God is there because of the changes He's made in me. More than that I've seen the people around me get healed as we've prayed for them. Real people, with real illnesses, that have really been healed, by a very real God! I am a self employed adhesive consultant,married with three children. I love life, and have a passion for;being with people, playing percussion, eating good food,reading good books, being a Lancastrian, malt whisky, and liquorice! |
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Monday, 17 November 2008 18:19 |
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I believe in God because when I did a work placement in a prison, I could see him make a difference to people's lives.
Lots of the women I met with in prison had problems, as you might expect. Most had hard backgrounds and many came from damaged families and had had a very shaky start in life. They'd made some bad choices, somewhere along the way, and ended up spending time in prison as a consequence.
Some of the women I met had become Christians while in prison, others had already been Christians, but had wandered off from their faith, then refound it through the chaplains in the prison.
I was really struck by the way these women's belief in God gave them hope and strength, while going through a very difficult time in their lives.
Time spent in prison is hard for anyone, but the women I met who were Christians were very definite that God was with them, helping them through it, and even giving them a lot of joy, in very bleak, harsh surroundings.
I also saw them grow, little by little, in self-confidence, in being able to forgive themselves for the harm they had done to others, and in being able to forgive those who had damaged them. They began to appreciate how much God loved them, and how much he forgave them, and as that sank in, it changed them in all sorts of ways.
I've been a Christian for almost as long as I can remember, but was very moved by such clear signs of God being at work in real people's lives here and now - and in ways I'd hardly expected when I first turned up at the prison and all I could see were the bars. I am a trainee church leader, a driving instructor's wife, mother of two children and a book worm. |
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Monday, 17 November 2008 18:17 |
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I believe in God because ... my parents not only told me who Jesus is but demonstrated what it means to be one of his followers. Through the demonstration of my parents (and others) faith I encountered God's love and grace and became a follower of Jesus because he died for my sin/selfishness and disgrace and promised to exchange my short comings as a human an abundant & eternal life in Him. Having encountered Jesus and become a follower of his, he has given life meaning and purpose. Through Jesus I see God and know him. I have experienced life away from following Jesus and it does not compare to the joy and peace of life I have with Him. I believe in God because he has transformed me and is continuing to do so in ways that would never be possible in my own endeavours.I am a Church Pastor |
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Monday, 17 November 2008 18:16 |
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I believe in God because ...He's answered my prayers to the specifics countless number of times.I talked with Him this morning!God is an incredible promise keeper.He has kept all His promises to me.I have tasted Him and can say that God is GOOD! I am a Sales professional with a background in banking...a father of three daughters and married to ONE wife.I play table tennis and enjoy travelling. |
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Saturday, 15 November 2008 20:23 |
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I believe in God because 17 years ago, I found myself in a pit of depair having made a complete mess of my life. I remember one pivotal night when I felt more depressed and angry than usual, and looking up at the stars, I threw out a challenge: "if there really is a God out there, then make my life worth living". That was just the beginning. Although it was a few years after that moment before I committed my life to Jesus, looking back I can see how God answered my prayer-challenge right there and then, and gradually began to heal my battered emotions. He gave me back my life and I have never stopped thanking Him. 10 years into my Christian journey, I entered the Roman Catholic Church, and was confirmed two years ago. As a result, my faith has deepened and grown.
My life is not free of problems or troubles. In that respect, I am no different to anyone else. In the last year I have lived through a serious health scare and major surgery, but God was with me all the way and I was able to face the future without fear. Neither am I perfect! I make mistakes every day, sometimes really big ones, but God's love guides me and enables me to put things right. I am a sinner, but a sinner who has been forgiven; I am a frail human being, but my God is a God of strength!
But it doesn't stop there ~ my purpose in life is to share Christ's love. St. Francis said "spread the Gospel, and if necessary, use words"; I believe in love in action, and try to put that into practise in my home, my Church, my place of work. God has blessed me with a listening job, and many opportunites to "spread the Gospel without words" simply by being there for others, and sharing their sorrows.
God really did answer that angry prayer 17 years ago ~ MY LIFE IS 100% WORTH LIVING! I am an Educational Counsellor and Homekeeper |
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