Before Jesus Changed My Life
There were a couple of times in my life when Jesus wasn’t a priority or as present in my life. I had always grown up in a faith-driven home, but it wasn’t until high school that I found Jesus for myself. It was my first varsity basketball practice my freshman year, when I ended up breaking my leg and actually was supposed to have my leg amputated. After going to multiple hospitals for the specific type of surgeon required, who wasn’t even on site, and had the choice to either perform an emergency operation and allow me to have two working legs or wait until the next day and just amputate my leg. Only God could have brought me through that to where I am now as a collegiate athlete. Another time was actually when I first got to college, because after my injury, I started to build a relationship with Jesus, but it wasn’t that important to me. I was actually working at an FCA camp in Denton, TX, which is close to where I’m from, and I didn’t feel qualified to lead a huddle. I just tried to stay open-minded to why God had me there. That was when I met a lady by the name Whitney Jones, funny enough, she’s the wife of my favorite OU QB growing up, but when she met me, she gave me a complete essay note and was like I don’t know why God put it on my heart to speak to you today, but he did. At first, I thought, “Who is she to come and give me a note essentially with the direction of my life?” She didn’t know me, and I didn’t know her, so how could she possibly carry a message from God? Well, it turns out that the message happened exactly and completely. Now she’s an amazing spiritual mentor for me. Essentially God had put on her heart to write to me about how I was going to reach a fork in the road where on one side is the narrow less traveled road that has a light at the end of the tunnel which is Christ and salvation. Still, the other was a more worldly route with recognition and fame and all things that people chase that aren’t fulfilling, but that road leads to death. She said that I wasn’t going to be able to tight walk the middle, and I thought she was full of it when I read this, but when I experienced trying to live both lives and how it just doesn’t work, I found myself puzzled and sitting there with the note and since then it’s been life changing choosing the walk with Jesus.
How Jesus Changed My Life
What has made my faith personal after those experiences is creating a community. Bringing people along with me to church and planting seeds because it’s hard to say I have a relationship with Christ, is then I go and coexist and only live and interact with people who are of the world. So that was one way. Two was getting involved in things like Salt Company and regularly attending Veritas Church. From there, just consistent prayer with my family and throughout the day. Learning how to actually pray and have a conversational relationship with God. I held onto the truth from Romans 8:18, which says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”This is often translated to you may not understand now but soon you will. Also, my mom would always tell me God doesn’t fix you just to fail you. There’s a purpose for everything. By God’s grace, I’ve come to believe what Jesus says in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” This to me is the definition of the gospel. That we imperfect and sinful humans get the opportunity to spend eternity with our Father through a relationship with Jesus Christ!
My Life After Jesus Saved Me
My life is different as a believer now because of the things mentioned before, and I still hold onto that verse because I went through so many trials and have had many doubts.However, now that I see the amazing ways God is moving in my life is amazing. Not for the amazing things going on in my life, but for the ways I’ve been able to impact others. Whether it’s helping high school kids getting recruited for football because God has led me through the transfer portal and recruiting process, or helping kids at Coe College who want to go into sports media because I was blessed as a premed student to do a Fox Sports internship and now be able to use the relationship and resources I have to help others. Amongst many other things, I think that’s the best part of my life now with Christ. Things are bigger than myself, and that’s the most satisfying and fulfilling part.