Thank You for the Cross that You Have Carried...

Photo Credit: http://www.divine-spirit.com/2011/04/is-easter-story-of-jesus-resurrection.html#_

"Thank You for the cross that You have carried
Thank You for Your blood that was shed

You took the weight of sin upon Your shoulders

And Sacrificed Your life so I could live."

- Nothing Holding Me Back, 

 Bryan and Katie Torwalt

                   I admit I tend to be an indecisive person, but out of the entire 17 years I've lived, I know one thing for sure-- that God exists, that He is my Savior, and that His love is so unconditional and everlasting. 

There is always this perception about Christians, that we're hypocrites or even crazy for worshiping this intangible being, but to me, it is the imperfection in us that gives the gospel so much meaning. That we as humans, who tend to be so manipulative and untrusting, are able to put our faith into something that cannot be seen or heard and that God, who is the Creator of the entire universe, is able to forgive and love the tainted sinners that we are. So many times our eyes and ears have deceived us, but with God, you sense Him in your heart and soul.

God has made the greatest sacrifice that man could ever acknowledge.

          When people say, “God loves you so much”, it seems so cliché and generic, but no, really! God loves you so much! He loves you so much that He sent his only son down to Earth so that He could spill His blood upon the cross. This blood, His blood, the blood of the Almighty King, is what redeemed and forgive the sin in our hearts. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6: 23. God’s love is what gives me hope every day and witnessing it in my life brings me so much joy.

          One thing I truly am grateful for is the relationship I have with my mom now. A year ago, I wouldn’t have ever thought of giving my mom a hug or even acknowledging her as my mom, but now I thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful mom. As I grew up, my mom tended to be very abusive, verbally and physically. She would whip me with wooden sticks until they broke, pull my hair, scream at me, and even kick me out of the house. My mom wasn’t an alcoholic or mentally insane, but she had a really bad temper. I grew to really hate my mother. I hated her so much that I even fantasized about grabbing a knife in the kitchen and stabbing her in the heart. To me, she would never be someone I would ever love. Although over time, my mom trusted me to discipline myself, I never let go of all the resentment I had towards her. In my mind, she wasn’t my mom and I promised to hate her as long as I lived. But God saw the heartache in my heart during a retreat in my junior year and constantly told me that I had to forgive my mom. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6: 14-15) During one of the seminars, one of the counselors shared about how his family conflict and how his abusive and alcoholic father was transformed by the love of God. After personally talking to him, I finally decided that I would forgive my mom since God had forgiven me so many times before. Although it was not easy, I humbly came to God that night and asked Him to give me the love that He embraced for all His children. That night, I met God in a new way and after truly forgiving my mom, my soul felt at peace—a kind of peace that was not mundane. One year later, my mother and I have a loving relationship which was shaped my God’s own hands and I am truly grateful to God for all that He has done.

          I am in no way trying to offend any other religion or trying to convert anyone. This blog is just a journal of my walk with Christ and my way of documenting all the things that God has blessed me with. I am excited to work on this blog as the rest of senior year elapses and am excited to see how God works in all of lives before we all leave for college. God bless you all and have a wonderful day. J

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." 

Psalm 118:24