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I became a Christian at the age of 32. All my life, I thought God was mad at me because of the lifestyle I was living. I thought I had to be perfect. I thought people in the Bible were perfect. And I thought God was going to punish me sooner or later. So, I never opened the Bible to read it. That’s how bad I thought I was in God’s eyes.
I fell into depression and was tired of life. I found myself complaining to a woman I’d met about how horrible my life was and how I believed God was going to punish me. She said “Edith, you need to read your Bible. There are broken and imperfect people all throughout the Scriptures. God loves you.” My response was, “REALLY?” I started reading the book of Matthew over and over. One day, through God’s grace and mercy, and with all the evidence surrounding me, I realized God loved me! I wept for days. What a burden lifted! After years of sinning and at the point of suicide, I’d finally discovered the love of Christ!
I started attending worship, joined the choir, attended church functions and started hanging out with other believers. I was a baby in Christ, excited about the things of God and yet, didn’t have a personal relationship with Him. I probably got on people’s nerves as a brand new believer! But now when I look back, I can see how God kept me. He held me. He protected me. He showed me His favor. Over and over, He showed me His love. I can truly say that no matter what you’ve done, what you’ve failed to do or who you feel you’ve hurt, God still loves you! So much so that He sent His Son to die for you to live in relationship with Him forever. -Edith
Have you found yourself having some of the same thoughts, questioning whether God loves you? Having another believer walk alongside you during these times can help you better understand Scripture and reaffirm God’s love for you. If you’re interested in being discipled or becoming a discipler, visit wooddale.org/1-1discipleship.