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| My story; not yet finished... |
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Growing up in a Christian family some of my earliest memories included me waking up in the early morning to my dad praying in a language I never understood; he was loud and paced the living room floors. I remember the unusual sense of power I felt and I know it helped me find God. I was four years old and I'd follow the sound to where my dad was and I'd hold his big fingers. My hands weren't big enough to hold all of his. I would walk the floors with him and pray and sing with him. Because I grew up in a house that was really set apart to the LORD, I think I always knew the reality of God... but that doesn't mean that it never became too familiar.
I was 3 years old when I was baptized with the Holy Spirit and some might wonder how or why... I wouldn't know how to answer those questions because I don't know how or why. One day at church I asked my mom if I could go with her to preservice prayer. We went in and sat down- she tells me that she couldn't stop listening to me as I kept getting louder and louder. She was amazed and excited but finally said to me, "Candice, you need to be quiet now because we're going up to church now". I never stopped and my words kept getting louder. I told her when we were half-way up the steps "Mom that means, Go into all the world and preach the gospel."
I remember those stories and many others from my childhood because they are really important. Especially to know the power and the reality of God that a child can have. A little child can know the power of God. It will change them and they will never be the same; so I love children. Children can love Jesus and have a revelation of His love.
I look back at my life and think that church sometimes hindered me in my relationship with Christ; no person is perfect and so no body of believers will be either. I became too religious and I thought I knew everything, especially in high school. Everything about God became a debate to me. Especially in Christian Ethics classes (sorry if you ever had to take one of those with me). My relationship with Jesus was real to a degree, but I had forgotten it's purpose was to provoke Love.
So I was out of High School and I had a few friends, but not too many. I knew that I wanted to really know Jesus, I knew that I wanted to follow Him. So I did and I made some really good decisions. I don't have regrets. I'm thankful for the things I've chosen to put my time into. I've found out that God answers my prayers and that He really loves me! He gives me really good ideas and then I make things. Sometimes He tells me to do things that seem impossible, but then when I try it's so easy!
I'm in Lethbridge and I work with Children. Beautiful children that Jesus loves. I know that it's a season for me to learn from them. I don't know what kind of future God is creating for me, but I know it's good. I know that there's power in the name of Jesus. I know that there's power in the Holy Spirit. I know that my life has been changed in the last few years. God has brought me back to the innocent yet powerful place of my childhood and I'm free to love.
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