The Story Of How God Turned My Life Around
At twenty-one years of age, I had no idea that my life would change forever. I always had the idea growing up, that after I had my fun and did all I wanted to do, I would follow God. That cliche was always there in my mind because I knew that if you were to be a Christian you had to follow these rules that seem to restrict any form of enjoyment out of life. My intent was only to enjoy life to the fullest. However, looking back God had other plans.
On the cusp of being able to drink legally, the excitement brewed in the year 2011. I had my car, a good-looking girlfriend, went to barber school, and a part-time job. I was doing my thang!!
But with all this there was a part of me that asked a question… What's the point of all this? There was a void and I felt like a hamster on a wheel running to nowhere.
I didn’t know how to get out of this funk. All I knew was that these questions rattled my brain for hours on end.
“Who am I? What am I doing here? What is my purpose? Is there more to life than this?”
The more I asked myself these questions I began to see the thread from the life of comfort being pulled, unraveling all that I have sewn together. What I was building was nothing in comparison to these profound questions. I had to find the answers, but where do I go? I asked myself these questions for 48hours straight. I couldn’t sleep or eat. It was all I could think about.
It occurred to me, that these questions could only be answered by one person…
God, If he’s more than some guy in the clouds…. I thought.
So I asked God the same questions that have been gnawing at me non-stop:
“Who am I?”
“What is my purpose?”
“What am I doing here?”…
In 24 hours, God’s ears must have been ringing from my constant barrage of the same questions because that night I heard a voice. It was in the silence that I heard a word. One word changed my life forever. His whisper caught me off guard because I honestly didn’t think he would answer. He could have said “go fish” and I might have been satisfied with the knowledge that he answers my prayers. But His one-word answer was just what I needed to hear. His voice cut through the doubts of my mind sharper than any sword.
The uncertainty that I was a hamster on a wheel evaporated like a drop of water on the Sahara desert. The feeling of importance filled my soul. I felt so satisfied that my questions were answered that I finally could sleep after the long 3 day's quest to find the answers to my questions.
The next day I woke up with a fresh perspective. I was energized and enthused. I felt like I could conquer the world. I had no idea what I would encounter but greatness was on the horizon.
For over 10 years, God has done incredible things in my life in such a short amount of time. The continual pursuit of my identity and purpose has caused my once wide panaramic view of life to a sniper-like view, searching for God and his dreams for my life. My life has been more than just following a rule-book to go to heaven (as I once thought). It’s been a growing relationship with a King and his son. So, over the past years my heavenly Father has been showing me how to be a better man.
This eternal unraveling of who we are and why we are born is one of the greatest discoveries on the planet. It may take a long time but I have learned that anything of rarity is not easy to find. Gold, silver, pearls, and oil are examples of their rarity and value.
Your identity and purpose are valued higher than these!
They are not easy to find. However, the unique person that you are has a depth of greatness within you, waiting to be discovered.
To anyone who may struggle with the same questions as I did, I pray that you take the time to ask God. You may be surprised like I was. Your journey to where you are today is part of your story. God created us to have different backgrounds, upbringings, likes, dislikes, and desires.
It makes us who we are. This is only a fragment to what God has done and I hope that my story will help others.
