Before I trusted Christ with my life, I always felt like I was at the end of my rope, working full time as a nurse and being a mom left me exhausted and feeling like I was not doing either job well. If a small thing happened like needing work on my car, I had a complete melt down because every little thing put me over the edge. I had friends, I exercised, I went for long hikes in the woods to be close to nature, I did yoga, I meditated or tried, but nothing was helping with the overwhelming stress and discontentment with my life. I was so profoundly unhappy.

I spent the first six years of my life in the church with my parents and sister, and it was our entire lives. My father was an assistant pastor of our church and principal of our Christian school. I remember feeling safe and happy with my young, faith-filled life.

Then our family fell apart for a variety of reasons, and my mother took my sister and me and left the church, and we never returned to it as a family. I never understood the abrupt stop to such an important part of my young life. I wasn’t sure whether I missed my actual biological father, God himself, or my church family more, all three were great losses for me.

We all went on with our lives without religion and we all made unhealthy bad choices in our lives. But I have to say that occasionally throughout my teenage years and young adult life, I would find myself praying in times of need because, even though I didn’t walk the Christian life with attending church and all that, I thought that God was out there and I hoped he might hear me and help me. I’m not sure why I thought this because I hadn’t had religion in my life since I was a very young child.

When something tragic happened in my personal life in February 2018, I felt that I could no longer go on by myself because I had no strength left, but I knew where to turn – partly because of my mother, who had returned to a religious life a couple years ago and partly because somewhere inside me I knew where to turn for help. I called my friend and asked to go to church with her and she took me to Grace. I’ve been coming ever since.

I still have hard times and struggles, but I feel more equipped to deal with them now knowing I am not alone. Knowing that God is always with me is such a great comfort to me. Also, knowing that he is guiding me and that I need to trust in him takes so much of my stress away; the problems have not changed, but my outlook on those problems have changed because of God’s presence in my life.

Being able to introduce my 6-year-old son, Luke, to Jesus has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. Hearing him say so innocently how much he loves Jesus and wants to follow him is such a blessing. I want him to follow God also, and I feel all of God’s promises in store for our future lives.

I’m deciding to be baptized because I want to publicly announce that I have chosen to follow Jesus and I want him to use me for his works.

— Sarah Osborne, Baptized April 2019

If you’re interested in being baptized at Grace, click here to learn more and to sign up for the next Baptism Workshop.

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