Life with Jesus

W hen I was fifteen years old, I began to plan what I would like to do with my life and started setting goals. My greatest desire was to leave a mark in history so that after my death, people would remember me. I grew up in a secular environment. Living in that environment after a family tragedy, I became an atheist. Since I denied the existence of God, my philosophy of life became, “only what is seen and touched is what exists.” My life moved to something similar to absurdism, which means life has no meaning and has a beginning and an end. After our death, there is no more. Therefore, my life became about living to the fullest and waiting for death to come. Then, there is no more.

In my quest to leave a mark in this life, I worked independently to meet my goals around the clock from 6am to 11pm, hoping these efforts would allow me to achieve my goals faster. There were some results, but not in the way I expected. On a bad day with my clients and salespeople, I got desperate. I shouted in anger, “I know that God does not exist, but God I challenge you to show me the opposite if you do. Let yourself be seen!” Days later, God answered. He improved my business situation by talking to people and promoting my products. I met a woman who invited me to a conference where they would talk about solutions and leadership—that place was a church. That is when my life changed. That was my first true encounter with Christ, and yes, God showed himself to me and demonstrated that He is real.

From that moment on, I could see beyond the things that can be seen and touched. Instead, I discovered the world that cannot be seen but does exist. Since my encounter with Jesus, I have no longer felt alone. I know that He is with me. With God’s blessing, I have been able to fulfill my goals. How have I achieved that? My whole life has been inspired by two verses—Joshua 1:8-9.

The word of God indicates that the path of salvation is through Jesus. It also serves as a guide for life. While you are alive, you have good results on this earth. Psalms 1 tells us that those who follow His word will prosper. By knowing Jesus, we can follow Him. We do this by learning from His examples and teachings. Here are some things I have learned.

• Jesus talks to you about going the extra mile, and if you do it in any area of ​​your life, things will get better.
• Jesus teaches you about serving, and serving opens many doors for you.
• Jesus teaches you to give love. If you give love, you will always have people by your side.
• Jesus speaks to you about salvation. By believing in Jesus, you will have eternal life.

Yes, thank God I have met my goals, but to get there I have had to go through many failures. But just as God has helped many biblical characters to rise from their failures, God has always helped me overcome my battles. Thanks to God and His Word, I have learned to stand firm and be a better person through failures.

In every obstacle of my life, seeing how God acted with Joseph, Daniel, David, and our Lord Jesus Himself, I know struggles can be overcome. For example, before meeting Jesus, Peter as a fisherman tried to fish with great effort and did not achieve anything. After his encounter with Jesus, his life left a mark on the lives of others. We can call that success. That is the same success I have experienced since my encounter with my savior.

When I was an atheist, I believed that life had no great meaning and that death was the end of everything. Thanks to Jesus, I now know that life has meaning, and my death is just the beginning of my eternal life.