Ever since the day I got baptized three years ago and declared my love for God, I get asked the question: Why do I follow God?
Before I share my reasoning, I wanted to share a little bit of my own testimony. I grew up in church and around the church, and I have volunteered in the children's classroom at my church as well. God really became important to me during my freshman year of high school. I was on the Varsity Pom team and I never felt accepted by anyone -- I would go home crying after practice sometimes because the girls were just so mean. During my freshman year, I started going to church more often and I made the decision to get baptized. I have never felt more loved than I did when going to church, surrounding myself with other Jesus-loving people.
I made the decision to move schools my sophomore year, to surround myself with a better atmosphere. Fast forward to February of my sophomore year in year high school: I was sitting in math class and one of my friends had called me and left a voicemail. I eventually called her back and she informed me that one of my friends had shot himself the night before and he was dead; his name was Levi. I immediately burst into tears and ran out of the room. I could hardly breathe. I had never someone close to me (other than my grandpa) die, let alone commit suicide. I was crushed. I did not know what to do or anything. The next year, summer of 2014, another close friend of mine, Lanna, had passed away from a heart attack. In 2015, my cousin Luke committed suicide. I felt very defeated; I was questioning God and why he kept taking people away from me and I lost my way. A few months later, I found myself at a summer camp my church goes to every year and I decided to rededicate my life to God on the last night of camp. Ever since that day, I have felt nothing but joy when it comes to God and all that he has done for me. I know that my Lanna, Luke, and Levi are in a better place; I'm honestly a little jealous because they get to be with God every day and watch over all of us. I love God and all the amazing things he has done in my life and I can't wait until the day I get to see my guardian angels again.
The reasons I follow God:
1. God's love
1 John 3:16 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."
He paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying for all of us and our sins. We all make mistakes and with God, you can be made new again. I don't know about anyone else, but the love and joy that I feel when I remember that is truly comforting. This verse also reminds us to love everyone and show the same love as God did (not in a literal sense; not telling you to die).
2. "The peace that surpasses all understanding."
Phillipians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
When you feel this peace that is talked about in this Bible verse (and you will at one point) it changes everything. I first felt this sense of peace the summer of 2015 when I was at a summer camp called CIY (Christ in Youth). The last night of camp I decided to rededicate my life to following God because I had been through some trials that caused me to lose my way; the second I declared my rededicated, I felt that peace.
3. The Plan
God has such an incredible plan for every single one of us. I don't know what his plan is for me, or where I will end up, but I know that it will be greater than anything I could ever even imagine! This goes for everyone; God has a plan for you and it will be incredible!
4. Comfort
The best thing about God is that when something is happening, good or bad, he already knows. If something bad is going on or you have experienced some trials like the death of a friend or family member, or you are just having a bad day, he already knows and he is there to listen and comfort you; all you have to is pray and talk to him.
5. Encouragement
Every time I have a rough day or I'm just feeling down, I pick up my Bible. Why? Because there are so many encouraging verses in the Bible. A verse I always keep in the back of my mind is
Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and those who are crushed in spirit."
This verse has so much truth to it because God wants us to turn to him in times of doubt so he can be there to encourage us.
God has provided me with so many blessings and opportunities, including the opportunity to be sharing this piece. There are many more reasons why I choose to follow God but these are the most important to me. I truly believe God is good and he will always prevail even through the worst of times.
