ONE GUY’S TRUE STORY

A THRILLING RIDE: A ROLLER COASTER OF FAITH

I remember as a kid, maybe 10 or 12, I loved going to my local theme park. This theme park had many thrilling rides, and I had been on most of them. This year in particular I was finally tall enough to ride the big roller coaster. Along with my sister, we walked to the start of the line, and suddenly the fear of the coaster became real. I felt overwhelmed with the tall hills and fast speed. It was daunting, and I no longer wanted to go on the ride I had been so excited for. With some effort, my sister was able to coax me into the line to face my fear. After a long wait, it was our turn to get on. As we walked to the seat, the fear overwhelmed me again, and I panicked. My sister grabbed my arm and told me it was going to be fine. I calmed down and took my seat. The coaster started to go and climb slowly. My nerves built, and I had butterflies in my stomach. We reached the top of the hill, and we very quickly whipped down the other side. I was filled with joy and excitement, and my fear was gone. After getting off, I begged my sister to go again. We rode the coaster many more times that day.

I find that my faith story is very similar to the memory I just described. I spent the first 20 years of my life not getting in the line to faith. I never really knew what it looked like to be a believer in Jesus, and I didn’t understand why people were lining up to be His followers. I grew up in a family that did not go to church or believe in the Bible. On rare occasions that we did attend church, it was extremely boring. Faith was just something we didn’t do–with the exception of my grandma. She was an amazing person, someone who was contagiously kind and had the superpower to talk to anybody about anything. She had a drive to be herself and to talk about her faith with others. She was struck with many diseases towards the end of her life, like dementia, multiple strokes, and half blindness in both eyes, but she wouldn’t let that get to her because she loved Jesus. My grandma was truly someone who was on this rollercoaster of faith. As a freshman in high school, she passed, and my family lost the light that connected us to Jesus. My family was hurt by her loss, and I became enveloped by the fear of death. I couldn’t let my mind wander at night, and I would shiver at the thought of dying and there being nothing afterwards. I searched for distractions and ran away to things that made me feel better, like video games and porn. I was lost, scared, and without purpose.

I continued to feel alone, and avoid faith. Even when I was in college, pursuing my dream of becoming a game developer, I still felt like something was missing. My life was going well, but I was still stuck in the same issues that made me feel ashamed and alone. I wanted to break free of those burdens but couldn’t find the right things to help me. Then I met someone, someone who reminded me of my grandmother. She was amazing, and she believed in Jesus. We started dating, and my life began to turn around. I thought she would be the answer to my problems and hardships with life, but I still continued to mess things up. I even started to hurt this person I loved so much. I was in love, and yet I still needed something to help me break out of my sins and restore the relationship I was slowly ruining. I needed something that was unlike any of the other things I had tried–I needed Jesus.

I needed something that was unlike any of the other things I had tried–I needed Jesus.

So I started to take Him seriously. I went to the theme park and got in line to get on the roller coaster. At first it was a bit halfhearted. Just attending church and being around other believers. But I started to feel convicted during the sermons and learned more about my sin and how it impacted me and those around me. I learned more and more about Jesus and how I could be born again into the person God wanted me to be. But it was hard, and the wait to get to the roller coaster was long. There were aspects about my life I hated, but there were also parts I wasn’t ready to give up. I hit my breaking point when I was struggling with temptation. I cried alone praying to God to take my sins away from me. I prayed He would help me to start cultivating a real relationship with Him and to help me give my life to Him.

I remember being asked by one of the church members to come to a Bible study on Wednesday nights. I was finally at the front of the line, and this was my moment to get on the roller coaster. Time to trust Jesus with my life. I had a panic moment, but I had many people around me to grab my hand and say it was going to be okay. Then the coaster started to move up the hill. Various actions propelled me forward in my faith: focusing on reading the Bible every day, learning what the Bible says, unlearning the things I thought it said, and having fellowship with other Christians. I started to feel not so alone and more connected. I started to feel closer to God, winning my battles with sin. I no longer felt so trapped, and I had the freedom to pick God’s way. My faith and trust started to grow.

Then I reached the top of the hill. As I whipped down it, God’s blessings were poured out onto me. Over the next year I would experience the craziest and most challenging year of my life. I got engaged to the woman I love, and we were married three months later. My wife and I were baptized at our church. We moved to a new home together where we could be more closely connected to the church. We went on our first mission trip together. God pushed me to grow and learn more about what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Today I find myself excited to continue to get in line and ride the roller coaster of faith. With each ride comes new growth paths and learning. Each time I have to climb the hill to see what God has for me on the other side. My current path involves growing in discipleship through a doctrine class, getting more involved in service with church, learning about God’s plan for my life, and becoming more connected with Christians and people around me.

I still have so much more to learn about God. I am still young in my faith, but I am also excited to see where He brings me. He has blessed me with purpose and grace. I am grateful to follow Christ and be a part of His church. My prayer for those trying to find that missing piece in your life is that you find the courage and faith to get in the line. You are created in the image of God, and He has amazing plans for your life.“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago”(Ephesians 2:10, NLT).

– Connor