How I became a Christian

“…that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:15-3:17

The dictionary defines a Christian as:

of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

That’s true, but I believe it’s also something more meaningful. Not only is it believing in the teachings of Jesus Christ, it is devoting yourself to Him. As children, many people are baptized, to make it public that they are accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I have never been baptized though. It wasn’t that my parents didn’t believe in it and didn’t want me or my sisters baptized, there were just denomination differences. Nevertheless, I was never baptized.

I didn’t think much about religion as a child, sure I went to a church preschool, but that was about the only time my family has done anything with churches. My parents never talked in depth about the Christian faith to me. I mean sure, sometimes they’d mention it when I was sick, and yeah, sometimes my grandparents would tell me about their experiences with the Lord, but I never thought much about it. That is until I was in fourth grade. Lots of my friends were having their first communions or confirmations. I was confused and asked them about it, they explained to me, and then proceeded to ask if I go to church, or if I was even baptized.

I was unsure, and I went home and asked my mom. I discovered I had never been baptized, and of course I went to google to find out what that meant. Based on some of the things I had read, I thought I was going to Hell, for the sole reason of me not being baptized. I was scared, really scared. I started asking my parents,

“Can we go to church?”

or

“Why don’t we go to church?”

They had always said because they didn’t know which church we should go to, or that we didn’t have time to go every Sunday because someone was always at a sporting event. I got really sad. It was a lot for a nine year old to take in, thinking that she was going to Hell. I began searching for things about Christianity, and I have continued to do so, ever since then. It was never really a priority though, I mean, I didn’t even have a bible in my house.

So I continued to live the way I had been, every once in a while I would go look up bible verses online but I never really understood them or took them to heart. All through middle school I would go to FCA to try and get more involved with the religion I was said to be (my family celebrated Christmas and Easter, but not with much meaning).

I would really think about everything that was said there each week. They would always ask if anyone has committed to Jesus Christ recently, or even during that meeting. I had always wanted to raise my hand, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant. I started reading bible verses before bed and praying every night, and then one day, God spoke to me. He told me that I didn’t have to go to church or be baptized to be a Christian. All I had to do was accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and live through His teachings and beliefs.

So I began to. I started reading the bible a lot more, and I started praying more too. I finally understand what it means to be a Christian, and I’m proud to say that I sincerely am one. And although I know it is not mandatory to be baptized and go to church to be a Christian, I would like to start doing these things. Not just to make it public that I believe in Jesus Christ, but to help myself learn more about my faith. I want to possess all the values of a Christian, and I want to be the best person I can be. And I believe that with the help of the Lord, I will be the person He created me to be.

~Sydney, Roswell, Georgia Age:14