Now that's a pretty hefty claim. To say I found the meaning of life suggests I found security, success, love - basically everything someone could want - all before my 19th birthday. But see that's the catch. It's not about me, my success, or my wants. I am merely one puzzle piece out of a gazillion.

When The Lord created the earth, there was no sin. However, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit God had told them not to, sin entered the world, and man could no longer be in the presence of God. So to make a way for us to be with Him again, The Lord sent Jesus to die for us. Did you know that someone actually died for you?! And this was no simple death either. The Romans were the richest and most popular empire at this time, and the leaders felt threatened by the fact that Jesus was gaining so many followers. So when He was betrayed, they were able to arrest Him and sentence Him to death. He died on a cross, hanging naked in front of at least hundreds of people, until He suffocated. In those hours, the sky went dark, and there was an earthquake as God turned His back on His son. Jesus took all of the sin of every person who had lived, was living, and would live, all at once. And all the guilt, shame, regret, and insecurity was something He had never felt before - I can't even imagine how overwhelming that must have been. But that was only on what is called Good Friday. On Easter Sunday, the tomb He was buried in was empty and He had risen, defeating Hell, Satan, and death!

When you accept salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, guiding you in how you should act, and it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that "if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, the new has come." That means that when you become a believer, it's like waking up! You're reborn and your past no longer matters! Christ wiped away our sins when He saved us, and therefore when we get to Judgement Day, the Lord sees Jesus instead of our sin, and we can be in His presence.

Now I know that that sentence about Jesus saving us is past tense - let me explain that. Because Jesus died and rose again in the past does not mean that everyone is saved. To accept His love, grace, and mercy is a choice that each believer has to make on his or her own. That's the part of Christianity that is all about free will - if God made it so that everyone had to believe and had to do every single thing He wants, we would be robots and there would be no joy, and no love. Instead of that, out of our own free will, we choose to obey God because we know it pleases Him, and in turn, it pleases us! We were created to want to worship and serve Him, and that's how we find fulfillment. Not in sex, drugs, food, TV, people, or anything else that will let us down.

But what are we saved from? We're saved from an eternity apart from Him, and an eternity of misery, plain and simple. He literally went to Hell and back, and He died for me, so I'm going to live for Him. Christians don't love others to gain salvation, we love because we have salvation. Christian means 'little Christ', and we should constantly ask ourselves "What Would Jesus Do?" to make sure we are serving others.

Through Christ, I have purpose and meaning. I really believe God wants me to glorify His name through my writing, but He didn't have to create me to praise Him. He didn't have to create Sadie Robertson, or Billy Graham. It says in the scripture that He could have the rocks cry out His praise! And God is such an amazing Father. From Him, we get true love, peace, and joy. And of these things are always present, even when our temporary happiness fades.

So straighten your crowns, ladies and gents. Because when you've been saved, you become a child of the King. Would you join us? Because God ends the final book of the Bible, Revelation with this:

"The Holy Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come!' Let the one who hears, say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty, come. Let the one who wants to drink of the water of life, drink it. It is a free gift." He ends the most-purchased book in the world calling you. Answer.