Testimonies

God has taught me that there is a lot more to life than me. God has taught me that I need to depend upon Him.

KAYLEIGH'S STORY

"He loves us for us"

I wasn't born into a Christian home - in fact, something probably quite the opposite. In 2000, I was adopted along with my brother and sister. I was 9 at the time and didn't know anything of the Christian faith before then. I always thought church was for posh people! So when we started going to church with our new Mom and Dad I found it quite weird, because I knew I wasn't posh! I never understood why we went to church, but it was a great way to meet new friends and get to know people, and I guess that's what I did for the 5 years after that.

Although I became a Christian on a summer camp, when I was 14, I believe I really felt a change when I was 16 on another summary camp. God really spoke to me on this camp and I felt very guilty for the way I had lived. During that week, I recommitted my life to him - except this time, it felt real. Going back to Sixth Form wasn't easy, but I stood my ground. Some people didn't like that I was a Christian, but it didn't bother me.

One of the biggest things I struggle with is self-image, or what people think of me. I often feel I need to win the approval of people and even God. But God has taught me that there is a lot more to life than me. God has taught me that I need to depend upon Him. He doesn't change like fashion. And he is not interested in a casual friendship. He loves us for us.

God will put us in situations that are out of our comfort zones to glorify Him. I learnt to take the focus from Kayleigh and on to God. When I see things God's way, I think about how God can use me in a situation, or how I can help somebody else, not just me. And things become a lot more realistic. Things work better when we live in God's comfort zone, even if we don't like it!

God has blessed me greatly in life and I am very thankful. But my biggest blessing is my parents. Their continuous witness for Christ day in and day out is something I will always appreciate. I will always be thankful for them for taking me to church "to meet new friends", because through it I have made the best, most loyal friend I could ever have made - and that's Jesus.