My Story

by Ian W.

Have you ever wished you were someone else? I did!

I was raised in a great family with seven brothers and sisters. My parents were missionaries in Africa for many years and I naturally had a lot of knowledge about God and Christianity. At a young age, I decided to begin a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

An unsure self-esteem

As I grew older I became increasingly involved in sports and friends and did not see my faith as an important part of my life. I focused myself on ensuring that I was always part of the “in group.�? People often thought I had it “all together.�? However, inside I was very unsure of myself.

In high school I spent a lot of time working out in the gym. I thought that if I looked good then I would feel good. The problem was there was always someone bigger and stronger than I was. I always wished I had the gifts and abilities of others. I was just Ian Whitfield—your average guy.

Renewing a lost friendship

During university I again became interested in my spiritual journey but was afraid to give God full control of all areas of my life. I thought he would make me something I didn’t want to be. In hindsight, I realize how foolish I was but that was my reality at the time. I tried to fill the emptiness I felt with other things: sports, relationships, and school.

In my second year, a close friend of mine was killed in a car accident. I realized that it could have easily been me and I was not ready to die. I still had unanswered questions.

Around that time, another friend had been talking to me about his faith in God and his relationship with Jesus Christ. I called him immediately. He shared with me how God had not left me, but rather I had left him. I had not nurtured my relationship with Jesus. I needed to renew that friendship that I had begun so many years before.

Shortly after that I recommitted my life to God.

My help and hope

Blaise Pascal, the great French mathematician, once said: “There is a God shaped vacuum in every man, woman and child that cannot be filled by any man made object but only by God made known by His Son Jesus Christ.�? I realized that I had spent much of my life trying to stuff all sorts of things into the void in my heart that could only be filled by God.

Since that time I have experienced a great deal of inner peace, even during the difficult seasons of my life including the death of my father. It has not been an easy journey but I would not trade a day with God for a thousand elsewhere. I still have challenges, but now I turn immediately to God for help and hope instead of trying to do it on my own. I still admire others’ gifts and abilities, but I no longer wish to be someone else. Today I am happy with who God made me to be and am happy that I have a special relationship with him.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

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Further Reading:
Winning Ways
A Change of Direction Results in a Change of Attitude