For the first time, I have hope. I feel loved and wanted. I have a purpose and a new lease on life.
I’d like to start with the old quote: “God gives His toughest battles to His strongest soldiers.” I was tired of fighting, but what I didn’t realize was that I was fighting against God. Because of my own stubbornness, I kept searching for someone or something to fill the void in my heart, when I could’ve just let God take away the pain and loneliness. Instead, I turned to drugs and men. I know I’m not the only one who’s been molested, felt unwanted, or not good enough. It took me coming to prison five times before I finally learned about God, His love, His mercy, and His grace. I used humor to cover my sadness, to joke about my past, but it’s been a long 18 years of drugs and bad choices. I was ready to give up on life until God sat me down in prison again. A few good people encouraged me to go to church and join the choir. That’s when I realized God was what I had been looking for all along. For the first time, I have hope. I feel loved and wanted. I have a purpose and a new lease on life. For once, someone has my back, God’s got me. And I’m thrilled to have this chance. I wake up every day looking forward to changing for the better, for myself and for my son. I can’t say I’ve ever felt this way before, but I’m truly excited for the next chapter God has for me. Today, I’m proving my new love for God by getting baptized. I won’t let Satan have my joy anymore.
