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Join me today with Zofia, a passionate college student, who of which has untangled her deeply rooted misconceptions through the remarkable meeting of one of her friends...
A Friend of a Friend:
Zofia is a Polish 17-year-old, who was raised in a non-Christian household. In addition to her family, she was surrounded by her friends who were quite scathing about religion, causing Zofia to fall into a world without really knowing the experience that Jesus could have in her life. Little did she know that as she entered the year of 2018, the tables were going to turn:
"I met one of my best friends, who I found at the time of being so drawn into being surrounded by toxic friendships, uncomfortable situations, and unhealthy routines. I always felt out of place in the world that many of my friends had fallen into and I often felt pressured to: go to parties, to drink and to be 'a part of the world'. I was never satisfied nor happy..it was like I was wearing someone else's skin."
Zofia was in conflict. She wanted to show her real self but she felt it was best to continue to play the role to fit this ideology of the teenage dream:
"What else did I have? I either pretended to be happy with all these fake friends or risk losing them all; being alone with nobody to help, understand or know me."
This darkness seems to linger for what seemed like a lifetime, but that was until a single beam of light revealed the comforting truth that she no longer needed to be alone:
"I met my friend and for the first time, I felt like I could explain what I was truly feeling without any judgment. He had felt the same as I had done for most of his life-out of place, uncomfortable and ultimately in a place, we both didn't want to be in."
Zofia finally found someone who she could be open with and who could empathize with her double-life. Suddenly, she did something she never thought she would do in her lifetime:
"I started praying. I didn't know how or why, and although I wasn't a Christian, I always felt comforted when I did so. I remember that a sense of comfort and grace flowed over me and made me feel like everything was going to be okay. My friend also told me he was a Christian, which took me a while to understand primarily but he was patient. He explained to me who Jesus Christ is with an inspiring comprehension and opened up about how faith saved him and what his life was like dedicating it all to Christ."
She felt an overwhelming presence. She began to pray progressively more, of which to her surprise, all the prayers were answered in some way. Her prayers covered a range of aspects within not just her life, but also the ones of the people she loves:
"I prayed for my aunt as she had struggled to find a job for 4 years due to her epilepsy...she was losing all hope. Not even a few days after, she called my Dad in excitement to reveal that she had found a job-with excellent pay and at a company, she always had a sought to work for! I also remember praying for a church for me to go to so that I could see what Christianity looked like outside of my own perspective. St Peters Brighton was perfect, I walked in for the first time and was instantly greeted by incredible people (who are my best friends to this day) and I felt overwhelmed by the presence of God."
Her life seemed to evolve and blossom with the golden presence of God in her life, it truly got better as time progressed. She even took the next into vulnerability:
"I told my mum about faith one day as I sat with her on the sofa. I broke down crying, telling her about everything God has done for me and how my life has changed. My mother was amazed at my courage and was completely understanding. I'm happy to say that she is now also a Christian."
"I also got baptized in the sea on June 2nd, 2019. I was joined by my whole family, many friends (old and new). I can declare that it was one of the best days of my life, being able to show my: family, friends, the public and ultimately God that I have left my old life behind to pursue a new life with Jesus in the center."
To wrap this story to a close, Zofia told me something of which I thought would be amazing advice for our world:
"Every worry, anxiety or even happiness and hope that I have can be turned into prayer. I can peacefully leave it in the hands of God, knowing that every prayer I have will be answered."
"I can't even explain the power of the Holy Spirit to those who haven't experienced it-take a mixture of wonder, grace, awe, love, and peace in an abundance of amounts. That's just a taster of what it's like to have the Holy Spirit transforming your life every day when you hold onto faith. It's truly incredible, heart-healing and limitless."
A Friend of a Friend:
Zofia is a Polish 17-year-old, who was raised in a non-Christian household. In addition to her family, she was surrounded by her friends who were quite scathing about religion, causing Zofia to fall into a world without really knowing the experience that Jesus could have in her life. Little did she know that as she entered the year of 2018, the tables were going to turn:
"I met one of my best friends, who I found at the time of being so drawn into being surrounded by toxic friendships, uncomfortable situations, and unhealthy routines. I always felt out of place in the world that many of my friends had fallen into and I often felt pressured to: go to parties, to drink and to be 'a part of the world'. I was never satisfied nor happy..it was like I was wearing someone else's skin."
Zofia was in conflict. She wanted to show her real self but she felt it was best to continue to play the role to fit this ideology of the teenage dream:
"What else did I have? I either pretended to be happy with all these fake friends or risk losing them all; being alone with nobody to help, understand or know me."
This darkness seems to linger for what seemed like a lifetime, but that was until a single beam of light revealed the comforting truth that she no longer needed to be alone:
"I met my friend and for the first time, I felt like I could explain what I was truly feeling without any judgment. He had felt the same as I had done for most of his life-out of place, uncomfortable and ultimately in a place, we both didn't want to be in."
Zofia finally found someone who she could be open with and who could empathize with her double-life. Suddenly, she did something she never thought she would do in her lifetime:
"I started praying. I didn't know how or why, and although I wasn't a Christian, I always felt comforted when I did so. I remember that a sense of comfort and grace flowed over me and made me feel like everything was going to be okay. My friend also told me he was a Christian, which took me a while to understand primarily but he was patient. He explained to me who Jesus Christ is with an inspiring comprehension and opened up about how faith saved him and what his life was like dedicating it all to Christ."
She felt an overwhelming presence. She began to pray progressively more, of which to her surprise, all the prayers were answered in some way. Her prayers covered a range of aspects within not just her life, but also the ones of the people she loves:
"I prayed for my aunt as she had struggled to find a job for 4 years due to her epilepsy...she was losing all hope. Not even a few days after, she called my Dad in excitement to reveal that she had found a job-with excellent pay and at a company, she always had a sought to work for! I also remember praying for a church for me to go to so that I could see what Christianity looked like outside of my own perspective. St Peters Brighton was perfect, I walked in for the first time and was instantly greeted by incredible people (who are my best friends to this day) and I felt overwhelmed by the presence of God."
Her life seemed to evolve and blossom with the golden presence of God in her life, it truly got better as time progressed. She even took the next into vulnerability:
"I told my mum about faith one day as I sat with her on the sofa. I broke down crying, telling her about everything God has done for me and how my life has changed. My mother was amazed at my courage and was completely understanding. I'm happy to say that she is now also a Christian."
"I also got baptized in the sea on June 2nd, 2019. I was joined by my whole family, many friends (old and new). I can declare that it was one of the best days of my life, being able to show my: family, friends, the public and ultimately God that I have left my old life behind to pursue a new life with Jesus in the center."
To wrap this story to a close, Zofia told me something of which I thought would be amazing advice for our world:
"Every worry, anxiety or even happiness and hope that I have can be turned into prayer. I can peacefully leave it in the hands of God, knowing that every prayer I have will be answered."
"I can't even explain the power of the Holy Spirit to those who haven't experienced it-take a mixture of wonder, grace, awe, love, and peace in an abundance of amounts. That's just a taster of what it's like to have the Holy Spirit transforming your life every day when you hold onto faith. It's truly incredible, heart-healing and limitless."
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Thanks for the share❣ How wondrous to have all of that goodness as opposed to the shallowness of before. Must be so satisfying to have peace within replacing doubt. Sometimes life really feels like it deserves your honesty to be able to progress and elevate you to where you are meant to be. It seems to say, be brave and you will be rewarded. Peace and love everyone 😊
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