How grace became my joy

At the age of 17 I departed from Arizona to pursue a degree at Western Washington University. Thought of as the shy loner girl at my high school, I went to college with hopes of finding friends. Not knowing anyone, I walked into my dorm finding out that the majority of the girls in my hall were Christians.

I was not a Christian, and knew nothing about Christianity apart from there is a God and Jesus was someone in the Bible. At the time I considered myself to be a Christian(like many others) because I believed in God, but did not realize that didn’t give me salvation. My family wasn’t a stranger to struggle and many times in high school I thought of ending my life, but my close relationship with my parents(and God’s provision) kept me in this world. I became apathetic throughout high school and placed all my hope in starting over and finding myself in college.

But to my surprise, I found God or more correctly… He found me. All of the sudden I realized that God loved me and that my sin separated me from God who created me. The only way I could reach Him, was through His Son Jesus Christ who died and rose again in atonement for my sins. Realizing this, I accepted Him and gave my life up to Him. I could not deny that kind of love. What took me awhile to learn was that I couldn’t do anything to get rid of my sin. Although I had lived a moral life and had listened when my parents said, “No drugs, sex, or alcohol”. I was so much overwhelmed with my sin I thought I had to do things to be right with God.

God faithfully changed my thoughts on this and put a stranger in my life to lovingly explain that faith + works does not equal salvation. And it discounts Jesus’ death on the cross to think otherwise. This new friend also explained that God lived in me and that blew me away. I fell so deeply in love with God through the next years.

I am grace is joy because God’s grace is my total and compelete joy. It floors me that He is so forgiving and loving. When I thought nobody would love me except my parents and brother, God changed me and revealed His love through His people and His word. I found a love that is so pure that I can not help but rejoice because He saved me from myself. I no longer pity myself, and I take joy in serving people. It is amazing to see the change He has made and is making in my life.

So, this blog is a collection of musings that reflect and rejoice over God who saved me and who continues to offer me grace to make it through everything.