I wish that I could adequately put into words how blessed I've been by the women I've met here in this blog community. I love how God has woven stories together and used women from every walk of life to encourage, support, and challenge others. Today, I get to introduce you to one of my newest friends. I'm so glad that I've gotten to know Megan lately and her sweet spirit is such a blessing to me! She asked me last week if she could write this post and I told her a hearty "YES!!!!!" I love when readers want to share their hearts and their Jesus stories. Such a beautiful reminder that God knows right where you are and He's always faithful to call you. Here's Megan's story!
Hey lovely Bloom readers! I'm Megan, and I blog over at Life of a College Girl.
Hey lovely Bloom readers! I'm Megan, and I blog over at Life of a College Girl.
When Nicole was asking for new sponsors, I couldn't say NO! Y'all, this blog is something special. I found Nicole's blog when I was in a serious time of doubt with the Lord, and as I saw her posts it was like Jesus slapping me in the face, but in a loving way! Today, I wanted to share my story of my faith. I know, you're probably like, "Seriously, ANOTHER?" but my story is sooo different. I am going to tell you how I had a real, 'Come to Jesus Meeting' and how my faith took a complete turn around.
OKAY...here we go! :)
I was born into a Catholic family. Ya know, the one where you have tons of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc. who all go to the same church? Yeah, that was my family. I was an only child, my parents sent me to the small private school in our tiny town, we went to mass every week with my relatives, especially holidays. I went through most of the sacraments, did the whole baptism thing, first communion, and was well on my way to confirmation.
That was, until my mom's sweet friend invited us to her church Christmas pageant. I must admit, I was in the fifth grade, and thought this was going to be just about as lame as my first grade Christmas play. But I digress...my mom said that this church was so different from what I was used to, and that I was to not say a word until we left that evening. I thought my mom was taking me to the convent and never coming back at the way she was acting.
So we went, and through the entire show my mom was sobbing. I'm not meaning like an, 'Oh, that was such a cute play' cry, I'm talking felt the presence of the Lord press down on her and bring her into reality of His amazing wonders. Back then, I gave no thought to it other than my mom was embarrassing me. Now? Gives me chills each time I get that picture in my head. After that night, my mom brought us back to watch the show for the rest of the performances, each time crying.
A few weeks passed, and my mom asked if I wanted to go and visit that church. She explained that they had a kid area that I would go to, how Sunday school worked, that I would be in great hands. So fast forward six months, my mom and I become regular attenders to this church, my dad stayed at the Catholic church that my school was still attached to and dealt with all sorts of questions. My teachers found out that I was converting religions, and oh.my.word. you would have thought I was a criminal. Every Friday mass with our peers I was to sit with the teacher, punished because I was disgracing the Catholic church for my mom's decision. Teachers were actually fearful of me, especially after I corrected my Religion teacher on one of his stories. ;)
But this fight went on for about a year and a half, my grandparents wouldn't talk to us, my relatives all thought we were absolutely crazy, I lost friends, my mom lost friends, and my dad was just about to go insane. But this church was feeding my soul on the Word, the things I needed to hear. I am almost 20 years old, and right now with my Kindergarten Sunday school class, I am still learning the basics.
Junior high I transferred schools because my family moved out of our tiny town to a large suburb city. I lived 4 doors down from the only friend I had from church, my Sunday school teacher lived a street away, the youth group organizer is the house behind me, one of our Pastor's lived a few streets away. Everywhere I turned to in my neighborhood, there was a smiling face from a church member. I loved it! My dad eventually joined us in church after seeing who we were surrounded by. I went to so many camps with the youth group, did out-reach programs, VBS, etc. But I could still tell that my heart was not all into what I was doing with my life, even all throughout high school.
Now, let's fast forward to my sophomore year in college! I attend Xavier University, a small private Catholic college with Jesuits EVERYWHERE. Literally. I knew that I wouldn't be singled out because of my faith much like I was growing up. I survived freshman year, but much like other students, didn't make it home every weekend for church. Did it bother me? Not really. But something changed. A BIG change of heart.
I had started my second year of college living with friends in an apartment. A month in, I knew something wasn't right. My parents struggled to keep me there, I wanted home every weekend because I wanted to go to church. I was an emotional wreck, just ask my poor boyfriend who dealt with crying phone calls. I was weak, torn to pieces, and was about to give up. My parents saw this, moved me home within a week, and I still was a hot mess.
Thankful for a wonderful mentor, who texted, called, chatted with me to see how I was doing. She shared the Word with me, gave me a daily text of scripture and a message to go with. Through those messages, I felt at peace. I could feel that God was pressing down on me, much like He had my mom about 10 years prior. I prayed more than I ever had, I began to get into Bible more. This time in my life was when I really had my meeting with Jesus. Yes, I had converted religions, took the new believers class, was baptized, gave my life to Christ, the whole deal. But you know what? I came to know Jesus more than ever in the past year. My church is amazing, don't get me wrong, but I think I needed to do this on my own. Learn about how great our God is, and that no matter where you are in life, He is right by your side to put that extra pep in your step, encourage you on your days of doubts, love you at all times.
Does God get much better than that? I know I went through about 10 years of my life in one post, but through it all, I became a firm believer in the Lord. I was a late bloomer when I think about it, but it doesn't matter. God will love you no matter what!
Thanks Nicole for letting me share my heart! And thanks readers for putting up with my loooooong story. To catch up with me and my fun life, go click my button on the right side! I'd love to have you there. :)
Edit: Megan is simply sharing her journey and her experiences here. By no means (and this is coming from Megan) was this meant to offend Catholics or come off as rude. Her family is still Catholic and she fully respects that. This is just her story of how Jesus personally worked in her life. I hope that you are able to take her story and grasp the love, grace, and mercy that is extended by Jesus instead of focusing on Catholics vs. other denominations. This post was not meant offensively, I promise!
I love that Megan's story isn't like mine. And it's not like Taylor's. And it may not be like yours, either. We've all walked different life paths, but the common thread is that the grace of Jesus has captured us. We've been changed because Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sinner's death, conquered hell and the grave, and rose to life so that WE could be raised from the dead, too. Sister, it doesn't matter where you've been. It doesn't matter what dark road you've walked down or how many times you lived in rebellion. It doesn't matter if you've gone to church every Sunday since birth or if you've never stepped foot in one. Jesus wants you. You are passionately loved. Yes, you're loved even though you've made this mistake and that mistake. Jesus isn't surpised by your past. He isn't in the dark about where you've been. He reaches his nail pierced hands out to you full knowing your past and your history. He calls you by name, beloved. I know that someone reading this post today needs to know Jesus. I pray that you would hear His call. If you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen.
bloomtheblog@gmail.com
Edit: Megan is simply sharing her journey and her experiences here. By no means (and this is coming from Megan) was this meant to offend Catholics or come off as rude. Her family is still Catholic and she fully respects that. This is just her story of how Jesus personally worked in her life. I hope that you are able to take her story and grasp the love, grace, and mercy that is extended by Jesus instead of focusing on Catholics vs. other denominations. This post was not meant offensively, I promise!
I love that Megan's story isn't like mine. And it's not like Taylor's. And it may not be like yours, either. We've all walked different life paths, but the common thread is that the grace of Jesus has captured us. We've been changed because Jesus lived a perfect life, died a sinner's death, conquered hell and the grave, and rose to life so that WE could be raised from the dead, too. Sister, it doesn't matter where you've been. It doesn't matter what dark road you've walked down or how many times you lived in rebellion. It doesn't matter if you've gone to church every Sunday since birth or if you've never stepped foot in one. Jesus wants you. You are passionately loved. Yes, you're loved even though you've made this mistake and that mistake. Jesus isn't surpised by your past. He isn't in the dark about where you've been. He reaches his nail pierced hands out to you full knowing your past and your history. He calls you by name, beloved. I know that someone reading this post today needs to know Jesus. I pray that you would hear His call. If you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen.
bloomtheblog@gmail.com
