It took me about seventeen years to realize how important church was to me. Each and Every day life changing events happens to us, and other people around the world. Those events can be as plain as waking up in the morning and finding a hundred dollar bill on the table, as shocking as the death of a family member or a friend, or as puzzling as an African American at the head of the United States of America’s government. Something incredible happened in my life that reintroduced me to and made me realize the importance of church.
I was born in a family with a very religious mother, so I was initiated with the Christian doctrine at a very early age. As a young boy, going to church was never something I looked forward to unlike going to a fair or the circus; I only went because everybody else did; I really wanted to assure a spots in heaven, and my mother forced me. In 2004, the year I moved to Georgia, I was introduced by a friend to a church called life church international; I wasn’t very interested, but since on Wednesday the youth service offered food and beverages with no charge; I was vigorous to go. The church became a place where “the neighborhood kids”, that’s what we were called, and the regular attendee assembled up to eat and play basketball before the service and when time for the actual “church” part of it to start, most of us left and the ones who stayed used that time to socialize with each other instead of listening and learning.

One Wednesday, I can’t specifically remember the exact date, after being confronted by the pastor about my bad regular routine of parting right before the service commenced, I was determine to stay. So after shooting some hoops I went in the church. Before the service begun they played some dull game that didn’t make sense, at least not to me, then the youth pastor played a song requesting everyone to find a spot in the room and ponder. After the meditation, he sermonized for a while; encouraging anyone who desired to accept Jesus as their lord and savior to go to one of the youth leaders on the stage and get prayed for. Let me just tell you this, I wasn’t going to, what an embarrassment it would have been if my friends saw me actually listening to all this church stuff; so I patiently waited in my seat for someone else to go. The whole time a voice within was daring me to go up and get prayed for; I couldn’t resist so I audaciously went up to the stage to see what it was all about.

As I reached the stage, I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat; it was as if I entered a whole new world. Jonathan, The pastor, laid his hand on me and asked me if I was ready to accept Jesus as my lord and savior, I slowly answered “yes” but with a lot of doubt, he repeated the question, and my answer was the same; he prayed over me, kindly asking me to repeat his words. After the prayer, I sat down on my seat and quietly listen to the song. As the song went along, something hit me real hard; I was feeling bizarre. Thoughts came upon my head; I was remind of all the misfortunes and awful events that have happened in my life, and how the lord still cared, and was kind enough to wake me up every morning. Maybe I was meant to go up on the stage and get prayed for I thought. Unexpectedly, uncontrollable tears began falling out my eyes; I got on my knees and prayed. It was probably the most honest praying I ever did in my entire life; the pastor came back and put his hand over me to comfort me; I felt fully alive and free. I then realized that this precious life we possess is nothing without God.

The reason I said that this event was life changing is because after that night I was not the same. After that night I felt liberated from all the wrong I had done which were holding me back trough all those years. I wasn’t a shame of saying “yes” when people asked me if I was a Christian or if I attended church every Wednesday. I felt free to be who I wanted to be not who others expected me to be. It did not only help me to live life as a Christian but to live life as a fresh and improved being.