How I Got Here

Like many of you, I grew up in a Christian home. My parents are Christians, I have gone to church all my life, and I even graduated from a private Christian school. But, coming into college, I was definitely NOT a Christian. Between church and Bible classes in middle and high school, I knew a LOT about the Bible. I could tell you all about the stories, but I didn’t believe any of it. I thought my own personal morality would carry me to salvation in death. I thought I could just become a perfect person, and that when I died, everything would just be okay. I was also scarred by the church, having gotten involved a church that cared more about politics than Jesus. So, honestly, going to Campbell, I was not interested in religion, I wanted nothing to do with the church, and I sure didn’t want anybody ministering to me. But by the grace of God, I met some girls from Campus Outreach. At first, I was scared by their persistence, and their willingness to just talk to me, and at first, I was very resistant of their kindness, inviting me to shags and retreats, asking me to hang out, watching the Bachelor, and starting a Bible study in my dorm. But they were just so KIND! Ultimately, they got me to attend Summit Church in Cary, and my heart began to soften toward religion. The Summit showed me that the Church did not have to be all about politics or about the building itself; it was meant to be about the Gospel and how everything in life related to the Gospel. Even after discovering this, God was not done with me yet. He then put another opportunity in front of me: the Summer Orlando Project, or the SOP. 

Before SOP, I was one of those people who had always considered myself a Christian. I think many of us who grow up in Christian homes with Christian parents can easily delude ourselves into thinking that we are somehow naturally “in the club”; however, while in Orlando, a friend of mine posed some challenging questions that led me to realize I needed to take personal responsibility for my faith. As a result, I heard the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9:“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” In hearing these words, I realized it didn’t matter how perfect I could be, I would never measure up, and ultimately I couldn’t save myself from death, and I committed my life to following Jesus Christ. 

 In the days since I became a Christian, there have been some amazing days, but there have also been some really tough days. In the last eight months, God has been asking me to trust his with everything, including my life. When I came back to Campbell this year, my mindset, and attitude was completely changed, and my friends’ didn’t like it. I gained Christ, and I lost friends. On the flip side, God has given me a love for His word that I’ve never had before, and given my life a purpose: to share his message at Campbell.  Often, that mission is hard, and I just want to give up. But it is in those moments that I remember the Gospel, and ultimately the hope I have in Christ, that even when I fail, God doesn’t fail. It honestly doesn’t matter because it’s not me; it’s Christ who lives in me. I am so excited about this summer and what God is doing in me, and I hope that this encourages you in your own walk with God!