My Personal Testimony
I grew up in a Christian home. Both of my parents are strong Christians and have done their best to raise me to have good moral values and be a good Christian. I do not drink, smoke, or do drugs. I do not believe in sex before marriage. I hope to stay that way. Ever since I was a little baby I have been going to church and hearing stories about Jesus. I never really questioned anything that I was told, I just accepted it as fact. When I was in the 5th grade, I decided I was ready to be baptized and accept Jesus as my savior. Actually, I didn't really understand it all and just wanted to be able to participate in communion. I partially understood the meaning of what I was doing, but not fully. I was only 10 1/2 years old. I was baptized on Easter, along with several other kids my age. Because I was hyperactive as a child and had trouble paying attention I cannot remember what all I "learned" in Sunday School. I knew all the basics, but that was about it. Once I was a bit older I was able to pay attention more and stopped drawing in church (I was always doodling and drawing silly little pictures...I have a very active imagination) and started listening to the sermons, although not all of them hit home.
I didn't really become very strong in my faith until my senior year in high school. At the beginning of the school year (Fall 1997) I started attending the Bible Study that was held at school. (It is a residential school.) I had always planned on going the year before, but never did (shame on me!). I am very glad that I did start going. I learned a lot and grew closer to God. He did not grow closer to me, I grew closer to him. God never leaves our side, we just stray from him. I started reading the Bible, although sometimes it seemed more like a chore than something I wanted to be doing. And sometimes I forgot to read my daily devotionals (shame on me again!). Another good thing that came from going to Bible Study was getting to know one of my teachers really well. My Calculus teacher was our Bible Study leader. I spent hours on end in her office. She didn't seem to mind too much. I guess she would have kicked me out if she did. She is a very strong Christian and helped me a lot. She was always there when I needed her. If I had a question about something in the Bible or something about Christianity in general, she always did her best to answer my question or help me find the answer. When I was depressed or sad (even if it was 2 a.m.) she was there to lift my spirits and remind me that Jesus loves me and that God is always there through good and bad and that I should always turn to him.
I really miss her now that I have graduated, but we try to keep in touch, through e-mail and occasional visits. I was hoping that I would find someone at Purdue that would be there in the same ways that Aunt Kimmy was (that's what we call my teacher/Bible study leader), but that hasn't happened. I will continue to grow as a Christian throughout my life and I am trying to be a witness to people through this web page and with people I know personally. I don't really know how to do that though. I know several people that do not know Christ, or that are confused and just don't know what to believe. I would really like to help them, but I don't even know how to approach them about it. Religion is a very hard topic to discuss, in my opinion. It is difficult to just bring it into a conversation from out of no where. How exactly does one approach a non-Christian about Christianity?? I am still looking for an answer to that one.
I am now in my second year of college and have been recenlty diagnosed as having ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) which just means, for me, that I have extreme difficulty concentrating, am impulsive, fidget a lot, etc. I may be put on medication soon, which hopefully will help me to concentrate more so that I can get better grades. ADHD is not something that just suddenly appears. It is there since birth and generally changes as you get older. In me, I became less hyperactive physically, but my mind still runs at a mile a minute and the effects of my horrible attention span are more prominant. Studies have shown that ADHD is a problem with the wiring in the frontal lobe of the brain, so it is genetic. Anyway, this is yet another struggle in my life, but I know that God is there to help me and guide me. He will help me to figure out what is best for me, whether that is medication, counseling, or both. I have gotten really bad about reading my Bible...I haven't touched the thing in months. I am not proud of that, but it is true. Well, that is my life right now. I will keep praying and hopefully life will slow down so that I can catch up!
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This page last modified in November 1999
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