He Made Me New

I was raised as an atheist by two religiously opposed atheists. I didn’t even hear Jesus’ name as anything other than a swear word until I was 5 years old. I didn’t know His teachings, and what I did know about the Gospel and Christianity was filtered through people that had left the religion, and because of their own experiences looked down upon Christianity and cursed Jesus.

When I was 18, I got high on marijuana for the first time. I got high every chance I could after that, though I didn’t have regular access until I was 20. Once I got regular access to weed, I very quickly became addicted.

By the time I recognized my addiction for what it was, I was getting high every single day and even sometimes at work. I would spend the last of my money on weed. I had stolen it from someone I considered a friend at the time. The weed was making me more anxious and depressed, and I knew I had to stop, but every time I tried, I slipped right back into getting high.

In August of 2024 when I was 24, I felt compelled to watch The Passion of the Christ. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Jesus made Himself known to me through that movie, I felt it when He said,

“See, Mother, I make all things new.”

The next morning there was an undeniable knowledge that Jesus is Lord, that He is God. I gave myself to Him that day and I have been sober since without even a single craving for marijuana. I have virtually no anxiety now, and my depression is almost nonexistent. I went to church for the first time in my life. I was baptized on March 2nd, 2025.

He has made me new, just like He said.