Something Beautiful

Note: Due to his request, the person’s name who told us his life story has been withheld.

There must be more to life than to be born and then to die. I always believed that, but never knew really what I was missing, so how could I search for it?

I was born and grew up in the Middle East. I occasionally went to church but I didn’t really connect to it. It didn’t mean anything to me.

When I was 14, my family moved to Canada. Here, my sadness and emptiness intensified. I started drinking heavily. I tried reading self-help books. But nothing seemed to help.

Eventually I went to college, and while I was there I was randomly approached by another student at the school while I was outside reading a magazine. We quickly became friends, and I spent time talking with him and his wife.

One day when we were talking I mentioned that I was searching for peace and couldn’t seem to find it anywhere. He invited me to come to his church. I didn’t go right away, because I was a bit skeptical having grown up, on and off, in various churches.

But I kept the invitation even though I’d dropped out of the course I had been taking at school. Several weeks later I decided to visit his church one Sunday, just to see what it was like. I figured I could always just leave.

When the worship singing and music started, I was surprised when I started crying. I didn’t know what was happening. Why was I crying? I looked around at the other people at the church and something wonderful was happening in this place. I saw something beautiful in the eyes of the choir members.

After the pastor delivered his message, he gave an invitation to know Jesus Christ as Lord & Savior. I knew that I needed to go and accept Jesus, but I still waited until the next week until I had the courage to do so!
When I did, the first change I noticed about my life was the peace. The thing I was searching for everywhere, Jesus gave me right away!

That was twelve years ago, and although the circumstances of my life haven’t always been peaceful since then, I have always felt that same peace in my heart. I have a newfound love for people, even for people that are hard to love. I try to love them unconditionally, because I know that’s what Jesus did for me. He loved me even before I truly knew Him. And that’s just how Jesus wants to know all of us and invites us to know him!

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times.

There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. You are embarking on a whole new life, maybe this is the time to invite God to be a part of it. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

Image credit: CharlesFred

Tags: arabic, changed lives, Christian, church, love, meaning, peace, purpose, searching, testimony

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