As a woman with AOC, I view life a little differently than my girlfriends who were raised in the Church and have embraced the gift Christ offers since they were wearing their hair in crimped pigtails.
I've always said I don't hold the spiritual gift of evangelism, but recently, one of my besties told me that I share my faith more openly and unabashedly than almost anyone else she knows. I attribute it to the fact that even after several years, it's all still new to me...that He loves me so much He sent His Son to take on my sins and die a death that was meant for me. That the "me" I was before has been replaced with a new and better version-one that's been, and will continue to be, refined in the heat of the flame until the impurities are gone and only a reflection of Christ remains.
It took a few years to come to terms with the person I used to be...the mistakes I made, the poor decisions that led me on a course away from God. I was told over and over that if God could forgive me I needed to be able to forgive myself. Count it as part of my journey; the one that led me, in a very roundabout way, towards Christ.
It also took me time to call myself a Christian. To put myself under the same label as the "Christians" from my past; those who were bringing a bad name to Christ-followers everywhere. Eventually, I realized, proclaiming my love for and faith in Christ was something I needed to do for me, not for the rest of the world. They could choose to view me however they wanted...but one thing was for sure-I'd try my hardest (though I was aware I'd fail almost daily) to pass onto others of the love, grace and mercy that has been shown to me by my Savior, to spread His Good News to those who are still searching.
My journey has only just begun, I'm well aware of this. I don't claim to have all the answers...any answers for that matter. My hope is that God uses my story to reach others so they don't have to experience life apart from Him.
God has shown me that the power He used to keep my life-long Christian friends from trouble and heartache, is the same power He used to rescue me from the midst of my pain and turmoil.
We serve an awesome God. He has a unique story for each of us. For some of us, it takes being drug through the mud before we hear Him calling our name. For others, it's being born into a family of strong believers. Luckily, it doesn't matter what brings us to the cross, the important thing is that we arrive.
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