The Local Church

Real Peace & Joy I Never Knew Until...

As we drove away from my home in a truck loaded with all my belongings, my eyes were filled with tears. But, I checked again for the peace that had not left me since I had made this decision, and it was still there. It was my sophomore year of college and I had decided to transfer to another university six hours from my hometown. I needed to get away from my old, unhappy manner of living. I wanted to be in an environment where I could be with others of my age who were pursuing the Lord. As a college student, I began to look into the future, and as I did I was unhappy with what I saw: a life falling more and more away from my dear Lord Jesus. Through many events and circumstances, I became dissatisfied with my state of living. I felt compelled to make a decision once and for all: I either needed to choose the Lord and take Him as my life or I need not call myself a Christian anymore. I chose the Lord and gave Him back the life I felt I owed Him.

With this decision, I realized I could not go on alone. I needed other young people with the same goals and focus in order to go on (2 Timothy 2:22). But because there weren't any college-age students meeting with the local church in the city I was living in, I began to petition the Lord with much prayer. The Lord answered my prayers through a call from a couple of dear friends going to school at a different university. They invited me to fill a vacancy in a apartment where some Christian girls (students) were living.

It was there that I began to see and experience the Lord for myself. There were many meetings throughout the week that kept me nourished and supplied. My daily walk with the Lord became strengthened as I had many companions to pray with and to enjoy the Lord with. I was truly happy and joyful. I felt like a dying plant that had been transplanted into rich soil with plenty of sunlight and nutrients.

I praise the Lord that He had mercy on me and showed me the local churches. Though I was raised meeting with the local churches, I felt I needed to see it and choose it for myself. I truly praise the Lord for showing me His one Body (1 Corinthians 12:12) on this earth. I pray I would never leave; it is here that I have found real joy and peace.

A.R. | Back to List

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