Christianity Oasis Forum

by **Paloma** » Thu Feb 07, 2013 7:43 pm

My testimony is that God has never left me, even as a child He never left me alone for a moment. He was there when no one else was, and He has taught me to put Him above all things. My baptism was one of the greatest, most treasured experiences of my life. Why? Because, while we did move, I did go to church when a friend of my mother's, and I did the Bible Studies that were required of me to do, but God had different plans. God knew, and knows all the desires of my heart, but He saw into the future and held onto me and comforted me in ways that no words can describe. I have come to understand that by putting God first, we can give God room to work in every area of our lives, and we can also save ourselves a lot of headaches. I love my family, but I understand that the human heart is capable of loving incessantly. So, I love God more than anything, and anyone. I put God above everything and anyone and I have come to know His peace and His love. I am a miracle, and while I can't put mold my life into a handful of words, I will always try to be a reflection of God's love. I learned something though. Before I was baptized I thought that I knew Jesus, but now I have a relationship with Him. It was as if I was an outsider looking in, thinking that I was inside, but I was really outside. Then, Jesus came in and He has done more in my life and in my family in this one year alone than in any other year before. I'll tell you this though, as a child I made promises with God and He has kept each promise, and He has helped me, strengthened me so that I could keep my promises as well. God honors us, and even if we fall short of His greatness. God will work with us, confront us, and we'll learn more and more about this loving father as we continue our walk with Him.

God has taken a real personal approach to me. My parents worked a lot over the years and we didn't go to church for many years. My parents, in those early days worked and worked. They still work, and for what, if not the fact that we believe that there is a purpose to our work. Nothing has ever come easy to me in life, and it shouldn't. I like hard work, and I can't say that I'll ever change in that one aspect. We didn't have a "home" church. The concept of a home church has been pretty new to me, but I want that. I want to have one church that I can go to and put my energy into. I realize that we were fighting for our survival, and yet I thank God for everything. Certain circumstances, I realize, had to happen for God's plan in my life to unfold, and that are continuously unfolding in my life. Last year, on June 3rd, 2012, on a Sunday, I was baptized. As a child I always sought God, and I can see God's purpose in my life. My mother and father were Christians but I think, as I often have, that God has a sense of humor. My father was a Christian when they met and he taught my mother about God, and now my mother is the one who is talking about God with my father. No one has all the answers, but we can go to God for that. God, when he saves one family member, will slowly work on every other family member, when we give God enough room to work with. He does incredible things. God can do miracles overnight, or overtime. God has taught me patience. God works even when we're sleeping.

I think that it is truly amazing how you can put different people through the same experiences and have different results. It proves to me that God is really an individual God. I was born in Brazil. I have three brothers, and I'm the youngest and have been known as the baby of the family. I love to read and write, and I am a goal oriented person who needs structure and order. Growing up, we all had chores and Douglas, the oldest, took care of us. Life in the United States has had many ups and downs for my family. My mother had a business but she had to file bankruptcy and one thing after another happened. She is a brave woman, and she has always had my respect and love. I know that I can't do anything about the past, and I have learned to accept things and to really be able to move on. I enjoyed moving, and yet God taught me lessons that have shaped me into who I am today. I'm not too good with these things, especially when I have time to think about what to write, so I pray that God can use this testimony in whatever way He pleases.

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.