Life-Giving Words of Hope & Encouragement

5-25-09

I’ve walked with Jesus for most of my life. I invited Him into my heart when I was seven years old, and I was blessed to attend a Christian school where faith wasn’t just a subject—it was the soil my life was planted in. The seeds sown in those years kept growing, quietly but powerfully, and I can say with confidence that God’s Word never returns empty; it always accomplishes what He sends it to do.

In high school, I sensed a real call to missions. My first trip—to Kenya with Youth for Christ—opened my eyes and expanded my heart. I came home convinced that God had a plan for my life. Since then, foreign missions have remained close to me. I travel at least once a year with church teams to Europe and Central and South America. Sometimes we share the gospel face-to-face; other times we preach with our hands—building churches, homes, and orphanages. Every trip deepens my gratitude for what I have and reminds me how faithful God is to provide.

College, however, wasn’t my proudest chapter. Little by little, I drifted. Pride crept in, and I started believing I could do life on my own. My faith faded from central to peripheral to nearly absent. Eventually, everything I was propping myself up with collapsed. I grew bitter and spent too long blaming God and everyone else. But in time, He met me in that rubble. I learned the hard way that when Jesus is all you have, you discover He’s all you need. Looking back, I see that none of it was wasted. When I began to put Him first again, He began weaving the broken pieces into something good. Restoration took root. I chose not to become bitter but better, trusting that God was using even my pain for a higher purpose.

The last three years have been the most transformative of my walk. God gave me a new lens—humble, grateful, and expectant. A pivotal moment was receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It felt like a personal revival; my worship deepened, and prayer became a living conversation. Praise is one of the most powerful things we can offer, and I experienced that power in fresh ways.

Recently, I attended the Walk to Emmaus—a three-day journey designed to draw closer to the Lord. During that time, I sensed His call to ministry more clearly than ever. I heard Him say, “Take the first step in faith.” So I’m doing exactly that—pursuing the training and education needed for ordination. I’ve prayed, I’ve sought godly counsel from my pastors—not to determine whether God is speaking, but to ensure my next steps align with His will. There is no doubt in my heart about what He’s asking of me.

I don’t yet know the exact assignment or location where He’ll place me. What I do know is that my answer is yes. In the meantime, I’m serving where I am—teaching kids’ church on Wednesday nights and leading a Sunday Bible study. Nothing feels more right than sharing what God has done in my life and what He can do in anyone’s life who lets Him in. The more I draw near to Him, the more He draws near to me. My life is God’s gift to me; what I do with it is my gift back to Him.

Jesus is calling me to follow Him and feed His sheep. The strength and passion I carry today were forged in weakness and refined by grace. I’m grateful for my past, honest about my failures, and full of faith for what’s ahead. I’m stepping forward—eyes on Jesus, heart surrendered, ready for whatever He asks next.