In many ways the 1980’s was just a blur. I became an Electrician at twenty one and was making decent money by twenty four. Life was all about having fun, so let’s party! I started using alcohol at fifteen, pot at seventeen and became a regular cocaine user in my early twenties. This eventually took it’s toll as I lost jobs and became more and more in debt.
But life went on and I became increasingly unhappy. I started to wonder…”Is this all there is to life?” I eventually hit bottom and considered ending it all. It was at this time that I cried out asking…”If You are there God, reveal yourself to me.”
Work was not going well but I was transfered instead of being fired. At the new site I ran into an old friend who I had known from apprenticeship school. He had “Jesus Saves” written on his hard hat. I asked Brett about this Jesus thing. On our lunch break he told me about this Jesus, the Son of God, who had come into the world to restore us to a right relationship with God. He encouraged me to read the Bible. I bought a bible and started to read the New Testament. I came to Matt. 11:28-30 which says…”Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your soul, for My yoke was easy and my burden is light.” That sounded good to me! All this time I had thought that I need to be a good person for God to love me. But here was an invitation to come just as I was.
I probably came to faith that very night but I wanted to make it official, so the next Sunday I went to a church Bret had recommended. When the preacher asked if anybody wanted to trust Jesus with their life to come forward and receive prayer. I did just that!
The changes were immediate. I stopped smoking, I stopped drinking, I stopped using drugs. My friends though I stopped living. When in fact I started to truly live, as God intended, free from the bondage that so much of this world brings. A new joy came into my life that was not dependent upon some substance, but came from the fact that I was fully loved by God. This journey has had it’s ups and downs but trusting Jesus with my life has been the best thing I have ever done!