My life before I really met Christ was a confusing, lifeless, miserable one—for me. Even though I grew up in a Christian home, my parents teaching me God’s word, His commandments and the right values, those things still didn’t made the cut for me—of course—to have an amazing encounter with Jesus. I attended Kid’s church as far as I can remember in my young life, even though they teach us every Sunday that Jesus loves us, and that He died for all of us, I know that there’s still something that I’m looking for, I just didn’t know exactly what it was. So I grew up having these questions in me, “What am I really looking for? What is it exactly?” These questions left me to wonder and a bit confused. As I start to open my eyes to the world around me, as I let it lure me to its enticing ways, it brought me to a place where all of us have been. I closed myself to God’s ways and let the world love me, and I loved it in return. I knew that what I was doing back then, was wrong—being in love with the world and its ways. I thought that I would find the answer to my question by loving the world, but I was wrong, so wrong. At the back of my mind, or maybe my conscience, there’s this thing that keeps on pulling me back, keeps on pulling me out of the world. It’s like I’m in the darkest tunnel that you could ever think of, but at the end of it, there’s this light, a light that made me realize that I can’t forever stay in the dark, I have to get out, but I didn’t know how. I know I was so into the deep that it’s going to be hard for me to find my way out. Then the fear started to come like a huge wave that is about to crush me. It was the scariest and most terrifying point in my life, where I felt that there’s no one to help me, with no one to guide me back, with no hand to hold, and no one to turn to. I felt so alone. Suddenly, I felt the urgency to just hide and cry, and something happened.
Someone I’ve never really felt and encountered before took my hand, comforted me and just embraced me. I’ve never felt Him like that before; it was the first time that I felt His warm embrace, His arms around me, just caressing me. I’ve never felt so loved, and so safe. Right then I realized that this was the answer to my question. This moment, was the one that I’ve been looking for, my entire life. I finally had my own amazing encounter with Jesus; I was actually looking for Him personally. I felt Him, for the first time, very surreal in my heart. I can’t describe it in words what it is exactly that I felt, but for all of us, I’m sure you do know. For us it is the most fulfilling moments of our lives, where you’ve never felt so secure, and so assured of who you are, to just one very important and special person, and that is Jesus. I finally met Him. This is where we can actually say that we are in a point of no return. Where you would realize that you wouldn’t want to go back where you have been, but would want to continue your amazing and adventurous walk with Him. It is so awesome to think that I am just a worthless, very sinful human being, but still He chose to look for me, to save me from my miserable life—like a damsel in distress, and to just love me as I am, as me. I don’t have to fake anything for Him accept me, He already did. He made me realize that He is my wonderful redeemer and with that, He gave me a new heart, a new life.
They always say that “life is a choice.” Now that I know Christ, it is my time to make my choice. The choice whether to love Him back or not, to let Him live in my heart and reign over me, and definitely, I have a sure answer with that—it is a big YES. In Him will I only find my true purpose and destiny in my life. Now, I am choosing to close the world from me, and to just shut it. I am now and forever choosing to live for Him, to walk in His ways, to keep in step with His spirit, to desire His desires, to want what He wants, to choose His will and not mine, and to serve Him faithfully for the rest of my life. It is actually my privilege now to introduce Him to others like me before, who is so lost, in a need to be found and trying to find the real meaning of life. I know that whatever I do would not be enough to pay Him back for what He did for me. All I know is that He just wants me to love Him, love others, and be faithful to Him in everything that I do with this new life that He gave me. I am choosing to live my life to the fullest for Him alone. I believe that my life after I met Christ is the most amazing story that God has given me. But I also believe that it is still in writing and passing, He still does have lots of things yet to unfold in my life and with yours too. As we witness how God does amazing things in our lives, let us keep running the race that He has marked out for us. Let’s celebrate life! With that, my name is Kariza Grace Padrique, and this is my testimony.
