Guys some may see this as a word of encouragement and some may laugh at me but here's a bit of encouragement.
I don't deserve anything. In my years of living all I deserve is hell.
Yet still, I have such a loving family, friends, and go to a high- ranking school.
Now it wasn't always like this. In 8th grade my mom had a stroke, I got in a car wreck, and a dude showed up to the mall I was in with a gun. Life sucked. Looking back, there's one Bible verse that fits the situation I was in. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
Although this situation seemed bad at the moment, it all ultimately worked towards good. When I was going through this situation, I had superficial faith in God. I didn't truly grasp all he had done for me and I was blind in a sense. I didn't see how selfish and how bad I was. It may be a shock to some but I used to say a lot of bad things and use bad language. I hope this doesn't reflect badly on my message.
In 9th grade, I was just about done with life. I did what I wanted and I didn't give a second thought about it. I felt so entitled to everything but didn't see that I was nothing, therefore deserving nothing. I used to think I was someone special just because I was alive.
A few months before the summer after that, I was on youtube watching worldly videos. I used to be a huge anime fan and didn't see I had no desire for God. I was like a goat headed for a slaughterhouse.
I was living a life of sin and I knew it. I kept watching youtube but one video stood out. It's a little blurry in my head now because it feels like an eternity ago. I think it was a video by Paul Washer called "Shocking Youth Message".
It changed me.
I never really saw my sin in a way I saw it then and even now.
It broke me.
I don't say this to sound dramatic. Brokenness is really a unique type of sadness. It's brokenhearted sorrow paired with a contrite heart and utter hopelessness.
It was like my whole world was flipped upside down.
I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. I had nothing to offer.
So I begged. I got down on my knees and begged.
This continued for months. It still happens sometimes.
However, in the span between then and now, I've changed.
I had been on the broad road to hell but I think I may no longer on that path.
I'm not saying that works (what you do) can earn your way into heaven. I realized nothing I could do could ever make it right with God.
So I put my faith in Christ.
I'm radically different now and I've been quite joyful actually. Now I see that I'm a creation of God and I see that he is real.
Without those situations, however, I don't think I would've paid any attention to the video.
So I'm thankful.
What I'm trying to say here is no matter what, keep pressing forward. Life is like a movie. God's seen the end from the beginning. However, we've only seen a little snippet of life. Therefore, it would be wise to trust the one greater than you and press forward. Keep living and have a blessed day.
