I believe God is worth investigating if you don’t know much about him, and I’m going to tell you why.

I grew up in a family of Christians and regularly went to church. I’d say I believed in God as a child but could never that say I knew him personally, and church was just a routine and a place to hang out with my friends.

In my school years I sometimes worried about if I was accepted by others around me. I craved attention and longed for acceptance from the more popular people at school. There were times when this was the case, but it didn’t satisfy as I wasn’t always being myself and that didn't feel right. I remember at times feeling like an outsider, like I wasn’t good enough.

I wanted to be the first person my friends turned to with a problem, to be their only best friend. I remember hearing about plans that my classmates had made to hang out together outside of school, and wondered why I hadn't been told yet and if I was going to be. I normally was, but unless I was directly told that I was wanted to be there, I wasn’t happy- regardless of whether I actually wanted to go!

This is where God stepped in. I went to a big Christian festival in most summers, with other teenagers from my church. On one of the first few that I went to, I remember being inside a massive blue tent with thousands of other people, and I asked God to show himself to me. I got an overwhelming sense of peace, and I knew that God was real and that he liked me more than I could ever comprehend. Even though I wasn’t perfect, I was accepted by God through what Jesus had done for me.

That’s when things started to change. Since then I’ve not been anxious about what people think of me. I’m not desperate for constant admiration or being number one over my friends. I’m not saying that I’m perfect. Of course, I still enjoy being liked by people and want that to be the case, but God’s love for me means that I don’t need to be the centre of attention anymore. And when I do feel let down, I always turn to him.

Over time I’ve got to know more about God’s love for me, and seen the powerful, and sometimes miraculous, impacts that he has made on so many people's lives. If you have questions or opinions about any of that, then get in touch. I’d love to chat :)