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I was raised in a Christian home and attended church for 25 years but never knew Jesus. Though I believed in God, I always thought of him as being very far away. I trusted that Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago but that’s where he stayed in my mind. As for the bible, it was something that I was convinced was too hard to read and did not apply to my life.

After a number of events that worked together to bring the practicality of the gospel to the surface for me, a light came on in my mind like never before. I remember standing in church one day listening to the preacher and suddenly being hit with the revelation that Jesus is alive today! He’s real, he’s here right now.

In that moment it was as if God was immediately taken out of that far away place and brought to me in a personal way. Jesus, was no longer stuck in the past. He was no longer someone that I just knew existed at some point in history. He was a real person, with real joys and real sorrows and he wanted to have an intimate, personal relationship with me.

After the service I ran out and bought the easiest bible translation I could find. I immersed myself in the Word. Phrases that I had read or heard a hundred times before leapt off the page because I could see how they related to my life. The people of the bible were no longer stale historical figures, they were real, and I could feel a connection with them as fellow disciples in Christ. The bible had gone from being an old dusty book on my shelf to an exhilarating workbook and handbook for living.

As I grew in God and his Word, I continued to be transformed from the inside out. About five years after my revelation it was as if God rolled up his sleeves and put the pruning, molding and shaping of who I was into high gear. He got right into every painful area of my life and either dug it out or broke it off of me. It was a very painful yet adventurous time.

Since childhood I struggled with low self worth. I did not know how severely this had impacted my life until God brought every issue it had birthed in me to the surface. It infiltrated every area of my life: who I was, what I did, how I reacted to situations, my relationships, my music, writing and how I spent my time. Coming clean from the ramifications of low self worth seemed impossible because it was so deeply rooted in me. But God kept working. He was patient and never gave up on me even though I would give up on myself many times a day.

Knowing him has changed my life. He has brought me out of so many difficult situations. He took something that the devil meant for harm and made it good; very good. God’s patience and relentless commitment to making me better amazes me. I will be forever grateful for all he’s done and all he continues to do.

The bible says that he will make you a blessing. I feel humbled by the fact that the thorns that were such a normal part of my everyday life for so many years have now become fragrant roses for others to enjoy and be comforted by. To me, there is no greater blessing than to be used by God and to see Him touching others through me. It makes the ‘overcoming’ well worth every ounce of sweat, tears, and determination.