Let's Celebrate!

I don't know about you, but I love reminiscing. It's fun to see where I've come from, and how much I have changed over the past several years. The growth has been tremendous, and I'm forever grateful to God for putting me in a place (literally) where that could happen.

In preparation for my family's big move as well as me going to college in the fall, I've been going through all of my stuff--keepsake boxes, books, closet, etc. As I was going through my stuff I found a few letters that I had written--they're more like journal entries I guess--revealing a lot of who I used to be and what my outlook on life used to be.

Gary Conachan four years ago was very self-conscious. Very timid, shy, wasn't very confident in who he was, and wasn't living the life that he was meant to live. Although I might have looked happy on the outside, deep down there was an ache and a hunger for something more--something to bring true fulfillment. Unfortunately I didn't realize the significance of a relationship with God until about two and a half years ago. That's when God became very real to me--since then, my relationship with Him has been progressive. Always moving forward, always things happening.

Looking at who I am today, I am confident in who I am, truly happy with who I am and who God made me to be, and I'm living in freedom for the first time in my life. For the longest time I lived a life of guilt, condemnation, low self-esteem--and all of that is gone. God has truly taken a broken man, a sinner--and restored me to new life. I am now living the life that I know God intended me to live all along, and it's great.

Do I still fall? Sure I do. Nobody's perfect. We still go through rough patches. But what's different about me now as compared to four years ago is I get back up. I keep on fighting, trusting in God and staying strong. I know who I am: I am a son of the Most High God, and I am defined by what I've overcome, not by what I've done. And I know that that is truly who I was meant to be all along--and the same goes for you too.

God wants so much more for us than we allow ourselves. He wants us to have that joy, to have that freedom, to live the life that we were meant to live. Living the life that God intended me to live is much better than anything else the world has to offer. Anyone saying that they don't need God is really missing out. Sure, everything may be fine in your life, but are you truly happy? And you truly satisfied with where you're going in life, and what you're living for?

If you haven't given God a chance, or if you've merely given Him a thought but second-guessed yourself, all I can say is: Give Him a shot. You won't regret your decision, and tremendous things will happen in your life. Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If He's transformed so many other people's lives before you, why wouldn't He want to transform yours as well?

It's up to you; the decision is yours. But all I can do is testify to His goodness, and the impact that He's had on my life; the same impact that He can have on yours.