If you ask any Christian how they came to know Christ, you’ll get a different answer each time. God works in different ways with each and every person, and his work in my life has been no exception. I grew up in the stereotypical American Christian household, living in the suburbs with two parents, a brother, and a dog. I was baptized as an infant, and went to church, Vacation Bible School, and other events on a weekly basis. Over the years, I gained a good knowledge of lots of Christian theology and doctrine. However, this wasn’t the same as actually knowing and having a real relationship with Christ. Church was more something that I did because my parents expected it of me. I went through most of my teenage years having my life pretty well thought out, and I wanted to feel like I had control over my future. I had never really been under a lot of pressure before, I got good grades, had a supportive family, and knew more or less what I wanted to do with my life. I thought I had it all together. This all changed after I left high school.

I took a different path than I imagine most of you did after I left high school. Rather than going straight to college or into the workforce, I joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves (USMCR), and was sent to boot camp only three weeks after graduation. Needless to say, this was a stressful time in my life. This was honestly probably the first time in my life that I was wasn’t really in control, and it started to get to me. While I still stubbornly refused to show any emotion in front of the other recruits (or the Drill Instructors, for that matter), it started to break me down on the inside. I finally came to a point where I realized that I couldn’t do everything myself, and that was the moment that I came to accept Christ as my personal lord and savior. There have been many ups and downs in the years since that day. Being a Christian is not always easy, and can in fact be hard, very hard. I hope that you will come to realize that you can’t control everything, and that that impulse will lead you to the same realization that I had.

Despite all that I have learned over the years, I still make mistakes. Despite knowing the standards, I consistently fail to meet them. Despite all this, I still wrestle with wondering why a perfect God could even forgive such a small, dirty creature such as me. I wonder about what kind of example I’m setting for the people around me. Do they really see Christ’s reflection when they look at me, or just an impersonal religious veneer that looks good on the outside but is too shallow to really change me? I still take comfort in the words of 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This means that even though we still make mistakes, even though we still sin, we can know that God will forgive us if we repent and come to him.

One of the most famous verses of the Bible is John 3:16. You’re probably familiar with it from seeing people hold up signs at football games. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Did you catch that? No matter what you did, no matter what you do, God still loved you so much that he willingly died for you. He loves you more than you can possibly imagine, and I hope that you will come to know him as I do. As your savior.