Amanda’s Story
I cannot remember a time I did not know the Lord. I was raised in a Christian home, attended parochial school from kindergarten through grade 12, and went to what seemed to be a million church camps from elementary school age until I finished high school. I even attended an integrative program as part of my graduate studies that taught me to incorporate spiritual formation into my counseling sessions.
Being raised in the Roman Catholic Church, I had no idea that a person needed to consciously acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior before they could be considered as having an intimate relationship with Him. I took it for granted that because I had been baptized as a baby, the Big Man Upstairs and I were on good terms.
That changed at one church camp. I vividly remember walking up on stage during worship time and being saved. As the tears streamed down my face, I felt His presence. I had never doubted His existence before, but it was in that moment that He affirmed He was with me and always would be, through both the darkest times of my life and the celebrations of the greatest ones.
My dad started attending Compassion Christian Church when I was in high school. My sister and I fell in love with the community, the worship and how we were encouraged to delve deeper into our relationship with God.
However, there were times during college and during my pregnancy that I did not feel His presence. I decided I was more in control of my life than He was or ever could be. I thought I had to something to prove, that I had to control every aspect of my life and that if things seem to be going wrong, then it was because I wasn't doing enough. How naïve I was!
When my daughter and I moved back to Savannah after a series of difficult situations and moves, there was never a doubt that we would become members of Compassion Christian Church. At church I was prompted to look at my relationship with the Holy Trinity and to pinpoint the areas I needed to work on and which areas of my heart I needed God to change. Every message the pastors communicated helped me renew my commitment to following God's Word and grow my faith in Him as my Father.
I have experienced a lot of adversity in my life – much of it probably of my own making. The only way I have been able to persevere and accomplish so much is because Jesus has remained true to His Word. He never leaves me. Although I sometimes become confused as to where my life is heading, feel lost and cannot find my way back to the right path, I know that I will succeed in fulfilling my purpose here on earth because I have the best tour guide there is!
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