New Believer #1

-Tell me about your journey to faith in Christ
Well I guess my journey isn't anything special. My parents didn't start off as Christians but become so sometime when I was in elementary school. After that it was like hard-core faith for them and they pushed it onto my siblings and me. I, being the oldest, did not want to disappoint them in any way chose to do whatever to make them happy, which was to "dedicate" my life to following Christ. I did it to make them happy, but I didn't accept Him into my heart. Years later, when I was about 17, I decided to go to a youth event called "Acquire the Fire" with my youth pastor and some other kids. I had an amazing time, and during the second day of the event I decided with my whole heart to follow Christ. And so here I am...I'm no where near perfect, but God loves me and I'm cool with that.

- What helped you the most to step over the line and make the commitment?
The biggest impact that helped make my commitment to follow Christ was probably seeing the faith that my grandfather has. Knowing the struggles he has been through and the trials that he has overcome it is pretty amazing to know that he hasn't given up his faith in God. Seeing how God has changed his life for the better made me want to know more about him and made me want to seek Him.

-What has been the best part of becoming a Christ follower to you?
The best part of becoming a Christ follower is probably feeling as though I am free. I feel free to be myself and no one else because I know that God accepts me for who I am and where I am in my life.

- What has been the most challenging part of following Christ?
The most challenging part of following Christ is probably letting go of things that might be holding me back from experiencing all that God might have for me.

- What do you think is helping you grow the most in your faith?
I think my family has helped me the most. Now that I faith in its beauty, I see how my parents give everything up to God no matter how horrible things are going at the time they keep their faith and know that God will be there to see them through. I think that has helped me the most to keep going and not the give up.

- What advice do you have for me in helping others like you to grow in their faith?
My advice would be to always be yourself. I think what helped me the most when I was first learning about God is that the person telling me about him was very transparent with me. I didn't feel as though they had to pretend to be someone else to get me to listen to what they had to say. They came to me as they were everyday as they were.

My reaction to this interview is as follows. Bethany (her last name will not be revealed), states that she grew up in a family where in the beginning, church wasn’t a big deal. When her parents came to be believers, they then forced it on her and her siblings. I think this is a typical reaction as I know many friends that have the same story. However, its results can be negative. Bethany was walking the walk and talking the talk but in her heart wasn’t embracing it because she hadn’t made her own personal decision to follow Jesus yet. She considers herself a new believer because it wasn’t until years later she truly became a believer. Her family plays an important role in her faith. I think this is also true for young believers. When you have a grandparent or a relative that has been through a hard life but has come out strong because of their relationship with Christ, it gives a realness to the faith. Bethany enjoys the freedom she has found in Christ. Before she had felt pressure from society and school to be a certain way, now she feels comfortable in her own skin and has found her identity in Christ. I think it really depends on when a person becomes a new believer as to what their story is. For Bethany, she was young when religion was forced on her and it took her a couple years to make the decision on her own. For others, they could be older in age and it take a hard situation to bring them to Christ (family member dying, being diagnosed with an incurable disease, etc). Bethany also finds that one of the hardest parts for her is letting go of things that could hinder her from reaching full potential in Christ. She doesn’t go into detail but I feel like this is something that everyone struggles with.