Life To The Full: Full House?

The concept of living ‘Life to the Full’ has always been a challenge for me personally. As I come from a family that does not believe in Christianity or go to church I grew up with a limited understanding of who God is and what he could mean for me personally. At the age of around 15-16 my way of getting the best out of life was through friendships and relationships. I grew dependant on having a girlfriend or constantly being invited out with friends and doing what in hindsight were outrageous things for someone that age to be doing. Inevitably whenever I felt out of the loop with friends I would be overcome by loneliness and not be the best person to be around. Instead of making the most out of final years in secondary school I ended up wasting plenty of time feeling miserable.

This was until I suddenly found myself talking and spending time with a couple of people from my local church, to which they later invited me along too. At the time I felt close to both of them and as their friend I had no hesitation to go see what a big part of their lives were. I was immediately invited to join their youth group and I spent the whole summer before joining sixth form learning more about who God is and seeing the joy in my new friend’s lives. The following September I decided to attend a different sixth form from my old friends and continue attending church. It wasn’t long until I was fully convinced that the only way I could have joy in my life and fulfilling friendships was through accepting Jesus into my life.

It hasn’t been the easiest few years. There have been distinct highs and lows in my faith and I know that I will always experience trials in my faith. But through all this I know that I have a God who loves me and wants to be my friend. And through Jesus I can talk to him, trust in him and one day meet him. The loneliness that hindered me before is no longer an issue that limits me. I now know that following Jesus gives me a greater sense of purpose and joy in everything I do. Looking ahead to the future it’s great to know that I can live my life fully just by placing everything in God’s hands.