Reflecting
Have you ever had one of those Sunday afternoons when the weather is beautiful and you’re sat outside letting your mind wander over past years?
When I look back I realise how blessed I was to be brought up in a Christian home and to be taken to church even before I could understand what the preacher was saying. But when I was about ten I started to stray.
Looking back, I think it was due to the fact that I worried about what other people my age would think about this ‘religion thing’ I had got myself involved into. I went to church on a Sunday but I only really went to see friends and because it was something I had always done. I did church but I wasn’t part of the church.
I moved up to Rastrick High School and was invited to go to the Christian Union there. This got me thinking about where my life was headed, but it still had no major effect on me until I went to ‘Mad camp’ in 2008.
Mad camp is a summer camp run by my church and another local church. It is a week of fun, sand, water, sand, food, more sand and Bible teaching. During the week two really amazing things happened to me.
Firstly, I met the most wonderful girl. A guy’s dream, right? Surely that gave my life some purpose? No, not in itself. But it did pave the way for the second.
Secondly I realised where I was headed. All those times I had thought about my life suddenly merged into one picture. I stood at the side of the boating lake at the Plac Y Brenan activity centre and prayed for Jesus to come into my life – asking that he would guide me through life and help me to be his faithful disciple.
I felt overjoyed. A gargantuan weight had been lifted off my chest. I turned from my sin and followed my Saviour Jesus Christ.
On 23 November I was baptised along with eight other people in my church. Life goes on, right? Yes. But now I am finding life and school a lot easier, because I know that I have a Friend who will never let me down and will keep me in the new path that he has chosen for me. That path leads right through life to heaven.
Andrew James
