I was always one of those annoying kids at school. Making inappropriate jokes and winding people up. Though I’d grown up going to church in what was then a Christian family, none of the stuff I’d heard at church about godliness actually stuck with me, and it was just one of the things I sometimes did on Sunday. At school I could be me, for at home, the period of my parents’ divorce left me aggravated; I felt caught in the middle and had little sense of belonging and stability. I knew that within me was a that something missing; a cry for attention and a general desire for appreciation. These things all shaped my behaviour and outlook on life.

Some of my extended family were living in what I saw was a life of peace, love, and general joy. I’d seen it for many years, but somewhere along that line it just hit me that I wanted what they had. They were Christians and weren’t afraid of telling others about Jesus. So I started to pay attention at Church, and intentionally sought to understand God. In seeking Him, I had never come across anything as attractive as this idea of being part of ‘God’s family’. I was convinced I needed God, and so asked Him if I could have a relationship with him, through Jesus. I took a step of faith, and in that had access to a fulfilling and satisfying love – the love of God.

God has been changing my attitudes and intentions in an ongoing process, even today. I came to find making jokes of and at other people incredibly harmful and disrespectful, and it unsettled me that I used to be like that. One area of my life that has changed is that through Jesus I have been and am becoming a more forgiving person, being able to respond in a loving and selfless way to incidents that have brought me great stress and pain, such as in certain times during and after my parents’ divorce; this would have been alien to me before I became a Christian. It is in such cases now that I find a good deal of liberation in knowing I can ask God to help me do that.

Does any of my story resonate with you? It would be great to hear your views and experiences in the comments box below. You may also want to check out the short video summary of my faith too.