Reflections: Becoming a Christian

Photo by Bernat Casero from flikr

So the process of preparing for my mission trip to London has been really awesome!  I have been through ups and downs that I did not even imagine when I first signed on; and God has revealed himself in every part of it.

One of the cool things that I have been able to do is reflect on where I have come from and what I have learned in order to be at this point in my life.  Through all the lessons and all the people that have influenced me, its amazing to realize how God has been so sovereign over it all.  The best place to start in reflections I guess would be when I first surrendered my life to Christ.

I became a Christian at a very young age, 7 years old.  It was at the church I grew up in, the First Baptist Church of Mount Holly, NC.  7 is young I know and honestly I have struggled with the age that I became a Christian, but God has been sovereign through it all by showing how He revealed Himself to me then and revealing my faith from that age.  It was when I was first encountered with the concept of how Jesus took on the physical beatings by whips, the crown of thorns, the sour sponge in his mouth, the humiliation of taking His clothes, being mocked, having to carry His own cross, being nailed to it with by His hands and feet, and ultimately

Picture From FBC of Lakewood

dying in front of a crowd of spectators.  In my mind that was bad enough but then my Sunday school teachers included the most important part, I deserved all of that. I deserved every bit of it and deserved to suffer, to die and go to hell (an eternity apart from God) and that Jesus took on the physical torments and the sins, all to set me free; he conquered death for me.  I remember thinking 'why would He do such a thing' and they said ‘simply out of love for us.’  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16  God bestowed on me wisdom that day to realize that He loved me so much to do all this, how in the world could I not love Him back?

It hasn’t been all roses and sunshine since that day, thats for sure. John 16:33 is true in saying: “I have said these things so that you may have peace.  In this world you will face tribulation, but take heart for I have overcome the world!”  I have struggled with acceptance, anger, lust, doubt, greed, rebellion, jealousy, fear, anxiety, status, pride, self-esteem etc.  I could go on and on, but the important thing has been this, my life is not my own and though I cry, I scream and I turn my eyes away, God calls me back to Him. God shows me where I have wronged, that I am already covered by grace and how to turn back and repent from that wrong-doing.  In this I get to go back to the one person who is constant and gives eternal joy, God.   How cool is that?!

‘Christ on the Cross’ picture form LifeWay

In addition being a part of His kingdom, Matthew 28 tells me I also get to be a part of how He extends His kingdom.  He blesses me by using me and allowing me to see Him work in others, and I get to see that in another country!  Its because He has redeemed me that I am able to go to London this summer to share the Gospel.

I pray and hope that if you are reading this that God is your joy and fulfillment and not just a get out of hell free card. Also, that living out the Christian life is not about perfection but about redemption, repentance and adherence to the Word.

Trading in our lives and going out following Him.


In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10

And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 
Luke 14:22-23