God is working in my heart. Since we have been going to our wonderful church, God has truly been working on my heart through the messages and teachings of our pastor and associate pastor. My toes have been stepped on, been hit up side the head with a 2×4 and some Sunday’s and Wednesday’s, it feels like I have been beaten. God’s word is so powerful.
I was 10 when I asked Jesus to come into my heart and to be my Lord and Savior. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I remember being baptized and crying because I was so happy. I remember my mom and dad’s faces, as they were with tears of joy also.
Then my teenage years came and I rebelled. My parents raised me the right way, in the way of the Lord and yet I made many mistakes. I am so thankful that we have such an awesome God. A God of forgiveness. I was on my knees asking for forgiveness when I found out I was pregnant at the age of 17 and a senior in high school. I married that same year. We loved each other and loved our son. Even though we didn’t do things in the right order, we knew God wanted us together to raise our son in the way of the Lord.
Being married young and having a baby at a young age can bring difficulties along the way. We had our fair share of problems and I slipped away from God again. God never let go of me though. I am so thankful for that. Through the grace of God, I came back to the One who loves me the most. I am so glad I did.
Since that time, we have had 3 more children and moved from our home town. We felt God telling us we needed a change. Before we knew it, my husband had a job in a mountain town and we moved 400+ miles from the place I grew up. It was hard leaving family and friends, but God knew I needed to grow up even more.
God has steadily worked on my heart since. I learn more and more each day, about God and about myself. I do know that I want to live my life for God. God needs to be first in my life no matter what. I want to encourage you to love God and live your life through Him. By no means am I perfect. I am a sinner saved by the grace of God. A loving and forgiving God. A merciful God.
As I learn new things from God and the Bible, I am hoping to pass them on to you.
Joy-what a wonderful testimony! I'm so looking forward to getting to know you!
Sara
I loved reading your testimony! It's so similar to mine. I too rebelled in highschool and found myself pregnant just a month after graduating high school. It took my (now) husband and I a couple of years before we got down on our knees, asked for forgiveness and rededicated our lives and our family to Christ. We didn't marry until our son was 18 months old. It hasn't been an easy road but God has been so much more than faithful! Just over a year ago my husband got a job in Montana, nearly 1200 miles from where I had spent my entire life. The move has been amazing, exactly what God had for the health and happiness of our family! We are SO blessed!
What an amazing story, thank you for sharing it! 🙂
Danielle
http://www.organizationalhysteria.com
Joy, this post was a heart tugger for me. I love to read about other people's journeys with God. We may come and go, but God is constant, and that is a blessing all in its own.
Thanks so much for sharing your powerful testimony, Joy! You're doing so many great things now – it's inspiring to read how you found your way back. And it's wonderful to see how God works in our lives when we work to follow Him!
Deb @ LivingMontessoriNow.com