Danielle's Story

I have suffered with depression and have thrown myself into a whole lot of messes by trying to find happiness in order to have some type of release from my depression. I smoked to find some temporary fulfillment from everyday hassles of life and continued to party more and more, but the more I did the worse I felt about myself. I would lie in bed and wish that I would never wake up - I wanted to live life through my dreams.

When I thought of God and the people who I thought knew God, I imagined people screaming on the side of the street that we are all going to hell. Once I saw those people, I got a horrible feeling inside of me and I knew that I did not want to be like those people or worship a God who was going to mold me into one of them.

I have often questioned how people can know and believe in something that they cannot see, like this "Jesus Christ".

One of my greatest passions is to read and to research biographical critical studies about authors. So like one of my authors, I decided to explore the life of Jesus, just so that I could see for myself if he is something I would be interested in. After reading about Jesus in the bible, as well as in books by Rick Warren, C.S. Lewis and Stormie Omartian, I began to view Jesus much differently.

Once I'd allowed myself to read the bible, I began to feel differently about life. I began to feel better about myself. As I read more about Jesus, a process of change began in my habits of how I thought, felt, and acted.

Before I read about Jesus, I judged him by listening to what other people thought about him. Through reading the bible I have learned that God is a loving father and is not this cold distant force, and he sent Jesus in order so we could have total restoration.

Knowing Jesus has helped me fight depression, unforgiveness, low-self worth, and fear as well as many other aspects of my being. I have learned that I cannot fix my past, but I can fix my future by resetting my goals and priorities. By knowing Jesus, I finally have peace in my life about who I am and where I am going. I finally have meaning in my life by exploring and accepting God's love, grace and peace.