For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 That’s me. For so much of my life, I was (and occasionally still am) motivated by my pride, selfishness, and lust.

 

My journey to salvation started, when I was in the sixth grade. I began to attend a Christian church with my mother and sister. We all accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior at the same time. Thinking back, I did it more so because my mom wanted me to. Although, I do remember I made a conscious effort to stop swearing and I also began to pray a lot, which I never did before.

 

Unfortunately, my Christian roots were not very deep.  The temptations of the world lured me away from God.  It all started when I got my first real job.  I remember being able to buy whatever I wanted.  I did not have to ask my parents for permission.  I loved it.  And of course, I wanted to make as much money as possible so I had no problems with not going to church.  I could work on Sunday and get paid time and a half.

 

Then came the girl...to whom I devoted all of my time and energy. In doing so I not only neglected God, but also my family and friends. I became consumed with spending all my time, energy, and money with her. Not long after my sister passed away, I decided the best thing I could do was to marry this girl. Unfortunately, I married her for all the wrong reasons. After one hell-on-earth year of marriage, she left me.

 

All the while, my life had been slowly unraveling.   But it was at this point that my life truly fell apart. I began a cycle of self-destruction. I remember working constantly...sometimes up to 60 hours a week, filling my time with movies and shopping to ease/escape my pain. I bought everything from clothes to a new car, none of which filled the void that I had inside. All the while, in the back of my mind, I knew I was wrong. I knew I was on the road to self-destruction...but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Romans 7:19 What I needed to do, wanted to do, was turn my life over to God-to seek him out, love him, and follow him.

 

When I finally hit bottom, I realized no matter how much I worked or how much money or material things I possessed, I would never be happy.  One day, I just said, “I give up.”  I turned back to God, and gave Him what was left of me.  Since then, He has given me the strength to overcome all the many obstacles that life was thrown my way. God was not a magic genie.  He did not grant me all my wishes, but like a loving father he was, and still is, by my side...ready to lend me a helping/guiding hand. He is always ready to pick me up when I fall down, as long as I am willing to recognize my mistakes and ask him for his forgiveness.

 

Remember people will always let you down (even Christians), because unfortunately, we none of us are perfect and never will be.  That is why we all need Jesus to redeem us of our sins.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.1 John 1:8-10  That is me:  a sinner redeemed, purified, and forgiven of all unrighteousness.