Twenty two years ago I became a Christian. Before that life changing moment, I thought I was a Christian because I was white and British, but I was wrong. I had been messing about with drugs and alcohol for a couple of years and was pretty miserable, not to mention a bit worried that I was not just trashing my body, but trashing my life. I thought I was in control of things at first, but the drug abuse soon began to control me and if I couldn’t get hold of some blow or acid tabs at the very least, I was on a downer! I came from a large family of eight people. My dad was a drunk and was never around, but my mum was always there for me. I respected mum and didn’t want to hurt her, so when I began to realise I was in a mess, I quickly sought help.  That help came from the church.

During my drug period, I had been working for a Christian man who repeatedly told me that Jesus loved me and had died on the cross for me 2000 years ago. I thought he was a bit mad at first, but as I saw his life and through some of the bible stories he told me about, I began to see the world around me in a new way. I never told him that of course, but I felt strangely drawn towards God. At the age of 19years, I finally came to a point of crying out to God for help and I arranged to meet with the pastor of a local church. He and his wife told me what the bible taught about Jesus, sin, forgiveness and eternal matters of life and death. They invited me to pray and ask God to forgive me for my sin........I did!! That night I prayed a simple prayer and asked God to help me and He did. I was filled with a joy I had never known before and from that night on I never touched drugs again. I found release from things that had previously bound me and a whole new life full of purpose and direction. Love and forgiveness became not just part of my daily vocabulary, but part of my life. It was as though I had been dormant all my life to that point and suddenly God woke me up. He caused me to see things a whole new way.

That was just the beginning. Here I am 21 years later and I have had a great 21 years! God has been so good to me and faithful even when I have been faithless. I can honestly say that the most important decision I have ever made was to follow Jesus Christ, God’s only son. We all need God’s help. The bible says that without Jesus as our saviour, we will go to a lost eternity in a place called hell. But that is not what God wants for anyone. He helps us in this life, but more importantly he fits us for eternal life.

“ For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life” John 3 verse 16.