Jesus first got my attention around grade 9, roughly 2-3 years after I thought I had started to follow Him. I inititally did that out of the desire for approval from my cabin leaders at camp, but it was after being involved in youth group for a few years that Jesus started to become more real to me. I was around Christian people my own age, and I started to watch them be followers of Jesus in their real lives as I befriended them. This pushed me to actually be serious about following in the footsteps of Jesus, and I started to realize that He mattered to me.
A faith marker in my life would be my time at Briercrest. One time in particular I can remember running out of money in my first semester, but felt the call from God to continue to use my car as a blessing to others. I continued to drive people where they needed to go (to the airport in Regina, groceries in Moose Jaw, etc.) without asking for money in return. My mom was very against this, but I felt like it’s what Jesus would do. That Christmas I got a (very) late tax return that funded my entire second semester. I knew then that Jesus was looking out for me, and I could listen to His direction for my life.
Jesus is currently teaching me about patience. Being slow to anger is a quality of God that I want to emulate, and Jesus is teaching me the value of doing that in my own life, and the value of that in the lives of others as well. If I am slow to anger, others are more calm, and feel safer around me.
Some verses I hold onto are Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which essentially say that there is a time for everything, and a purpose under Heaven. I try to let this verse guide me to not be too surprised about bad things, and to take them in stride.
There is a time for everything, and a purpose under Heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
A time to be born, and a time to die.
A time to plant, and a time to uproot.
A time to kill, and a time to heal.
A time to teardown, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh.
A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them.
A time to embrace and a time to refrain,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.
I love that our church has so many people willing to serve; and more than that, we have people who serve abundantly, and who care about the younger generations in our church. As someone who’s faith was formed in youth group and at camp, I value those spaces so much, and I appreciate those who pour into those spaces.