Becoming a Christian

The first time I heard about God was during religious education at primary school. I can't remember much about what I was taught but I remember believing that there was a God and that He listened to our prayers. In year two we had a lovely religious education teacher, an older lady with white hair (I think!). Once after the class I waited behind and asked her to pray for two things: my great grandmother who was getting very old and was sick and a bird that our family cat had caught and was not in good shape! Well, my great grandmother lived for a number of years after that day and the little bird survived! It is amazing how God works to show Himself to little children.



When I was in year 6 I started going to a Christian group at school called Interschool Christian Fellowship (ISCF). One of the young female teachers at the school ran the group. She was a very gentle, kind lady. It was there that I remember hearing stories about Jesus and learning that He died on a cross to save me from God's punishment which I deserved for my sin. I remember racking my brains, wondering why Jesus would die on a cross, why such a severe thing would have to be done. I thought it was strange, but believed it was true. I just didn't know how it was meant to impact my life.



I remember going to the ISCF camp in year 7 and singing the song: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all you mind and love all of mankind as you would love yourself.............wow - how did you do that?!



Once at an ISCF get-together, the lovely teacher smiled so brightly and said, 'I'm looking forward to heaven'. Heaven? Wow, it sounded so great - a perfect place where we would be with God forever! I had all these ideas racing around in my head - Jesus dying for me, heaven, loving God with all your heart.........how did it all fit together?



In year 8, my first year in high school, I was given one of those small red Gideons Bibles. At the front it said something like 'If you believe Jesus died for your sins and would like to follow him as your Lord and Saviour, sign below'. Although I still didn't really understand what it meant that Jesus died for my sins, I did want to follow Him. I believed that He did die and rise again and that He deserved my following. For the next few months I started trying to be a 'good Christian'. It was stressful! I felt like everything I did was wrong. I stopped going to ISCF and forgot about my promise to follow Jesus.



By God's grace, in year 11, a friend invited me to his church youth group. Before I knew it, he had signed me up to study a Christianity Explained course with the female youth group leader! I was very synical, but throughout the course of the studies (6 weeks) I learned that Jesus had authority over everything and that we could either think of Him as liar, lunatic or Lord. I believed that He was Lord but didn't know why He had died for my sins when I wasn't really a bad person. Did I really need Jesus to die for me when I hadn't done anthing really bad to deserve God's punishment? Surely God would let me into heaven because I was a nice person.

Over the next year or so, I learned that each and every one of us has turned away from God and is trying to live lives to please ourselves. I learned that we are all sinners worthy of God's punishment which is death. However, because of God's great love for us, even though we turn our backs on Him, God sent His son Jesus to earth to die in our place. Jesus was punished instead of us. Three days after Jesus died, He rose again, to prove that death has been defeated and to prove that the dead will indeed be raised. So, by trusting in what Jesus has done, we are forgiven of all our wrong-doings and will no longer be punished by God. Instead, when we die we will go to heaven to be with Jesus.


Well, my Christian life is not all rosy and I don't have it altogether. Sometimes I doubt God's love and He feels distant to me. I am constantly failing to live a life free from sin. But I know God's word is true - God is near, He does love me, He forgives my sin and one day I will be with Him in heaven because Jesus has died in my place. Instead of striving to be 'a good Christian' out of duty I strive to obey God because He is worthy of obedience and I am thankful for what He has done for me.