I grew up in a Christian household with amazing parents that showed me how to live my life for Christ, just as they did. I went to church every Sunday and listened to the Bible stories that told me about how Jesus died on the cross for my sins and how he preformed many miracles that amazed many people. Most of the Bible stories that I heard at Sunday school just went down in my brain as facts about Jesus that I only needed at church on Sunday. When I was little I didn’t know how to or what it meant to honor Christ with my life.
I also swam when I was younger, as I still do, but then I swam to bring glory to myself from my success. Swimming is what I found my identity in before I personally knew Christ.
I always felt incomplete when it came to what we were talking about in church. That feeling of missing something really started in 5th grade. Luckily, in 6th grade I started going to D-Team. D-Team just started out as time with other Christian girls to talk about what was going on in life.
On the Grace Students Fall Retreat in 2017, Jesus went from this cool dude that did amazing things on earth way back in the day to someone above all things that I wanted to have a personal relationship with. At the retreat all of the worship songs came to life and really had a strong meaning to me, more than I the ever have before. Prayer and conversations about God in our cabins during Bible time on the retreat were the highlight of my day! Even after the retreat, I still wanted to have those deep conversations about
God and how amazing he is and how we can honor him with our lives. Those deep conversations were taken to D-Team, and from then on and I started to love D-Team so much! During that retreat, my relationship with Jesus jumped to life!
Now, I honor Christ with my life every single day. Now, I swim and compete for God, to bring glory to him because he is the one who gave me my gifts. Words can’t even explain how in love I am with the Lord, and I am amazed daily of his amazing works. As I continue to read his Word every day, I fall more in love with Christ and learn how to be my best self in a way that is honoring Jesus.
Everyday I remind myself that everything that happens is his will and everything is going to go by his plan for our good, and there is no way that we can change it, and that comforts me beyond words can say. We are also called to wake up each day to live as fishers of men, fruit bearers, and ambassadors to complete the good works God has prepared in advance for us to do. I live by these words daily as they encourage me to live my life for Christ and honor him in all I do.
I am being baptized to externally show that I have accepted God as my Lord and Savior and that I live for him and to bring him glory every day.
–Kendal Wilson, Baptized April 2019
If you’re interested in being baptized at Grace, click here to learn more and to sign up to attend our next Baptism Workshop.