👑OT ✨

This is my testimony. ‼️ I grew up in a strong Christian home. My dad is a pastor, and as a child I truly loved God. While other kids were playing, I would sit down and read my Bible. I had a GNT Bible that was very easy for children to understand, and it made me love reading God’s Word. I always wanted to spend time with it. But as I grew older, things changed. I stopped reading my Bible and started hating going to church. Every Sunday, when everyone in the house was getting ready for church, I would pretend to be sick so I would not go. This is where I think my parents made a mistake. Instead of pushing me or paying close attention to what was happening, they would leave me at home. I understand they felt pity for me because I had chronic asthma while growing up. So every Sunday, or anytime there was a church activity, I would fake an asthma attack just to avoid going to church. Parents, please pay close attention to your children. As I got older, my dislike for church became worse. Whenever I entered church, I felt uncomfortable and only wanted to leave. I never stayed until the end of the service. I would leave halfway through. Even after I gave my life to Christ, this struggle continued. It became a serious burden for me because I still found no joy in the house of God. Every Sunday felt forced. I would drag myself to church and still leave before the service ended. I started envying people who were happy in church. I would watch them and wonder, “Why are they so joyful here while I feel this way?” It affected me deeply. I cried and prayed many times, asking God to change my heart, but nothing seemed to happen at first. I still woke up every Sunday without the desire to go to church. Whenever I saw people excited about church, I wished I could be like them. Then I began to pray seriously and fast. Little by little, I started renewing my mind, and things slowly changed. I realized God wanted me to truly love Him because when you genuinely love God, you will also love His presence. So I began praying differently. I asked God to fill me with love for Him, the love to love His Word, the love to love His presence, and the love to love His house. Recently, I noticed something beautiful: things have changed. Now I find joy in the house of God. I am now the one waking my brothers up for church. I am now the first person to get dressed and ready. I am so happy because that burden has been broken. Now I even desire more joy in God’s presence. I want to stay longer in church, even when others are leaving. I truly want to fall deeply in love with the house of God, and I believe God will continue to help me grow. This struggle was actually what delayed my baptism after giving my life to Christ. But today, I am baptized, and now I truly belong to a church family. Not like before, when I was only a visitor in God’s house. Thank You, Jesus.

In Christianity, no one is forced or threatened to remain a believer. No one forced me either. There was a time I drifted away from God, I stopped going to church, I stopped praying. But like the prodigal son, I made the decision to return. God was there all along, waiting for me. At some point, it became clear to me that I couldn’t do life without my Father, that I needed Him more than I ever realized. I came back broken and shattered, and He restored me. He didn’t condemn me or scold me. Instead, He welcomed me with love and restored me completely. That’s the beauty of Christianity: no matter how far you go, one day you return, not out of fear, not by force, not under threat, but because you come to understand that you truly need your Father.