10/06/2023
Jay Vincent M. Senador from Hope Bataan shares how the Lord has given light to his life.
"Before I came to believe in Jesus, it seemed like everything was just repeating and ruining me. Almost every day, I woke up with a heavy feeling on my face and a frown.
I was used to living a worldly life, and I thought it was normal for a teenager like me to have such experiences. I was used to being disrespectful to my parents, lying, hanging out with friends who had bad influence, drinking, trying va**ng, and getting addicted to po*******hy, which often became a prison for fellow teenagers like me.
My life then was just repetitive and had no change. Sometimes I was with my friends, but at the end of a fun day, I still felt lonely. I am sure many of us can relate to choosing things that ruin our lives without realizing it. I also experienced depression for a few months.
However, in September 2020, while browsing Facebook, I came across an invitation to a "Life Group." At that time, I had no idea what to expect from a Zoom meeting. But I tried it out and joined, and thanks to God, that's where my journey towards accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior began. I started dedicating my life to Him, but as a weak person, there were still times when I stumbled into temptation. I was imprisoned again by po*******hy and fell into the wrong crowd who influenced me, such as using unpleasant words and still disrespecting my parents. I felt that the more I approached the Lord, the more the enemy worked double time to keep me away from Him. And I admit that as a student, the enemy also used my studies to steal time away from the Lord, and I was often tempted by the enemy.
I also experienced a trial in showing my faith to my parents and relatives. I decided to be water baptized, and on the same day, I immediately had a test of faith. We had an argument during our family gathering. Some of them questioned my decision to become a born-again Christian. I am the only Christian in the family, and they are all Roman Catholic. But despite their questions and jokes that I admit were offensive, I stood by my faith. I had the courage to tell them how good it is to have Christ in my life and how much God loves us. My tears flowed freely as I was alone, and my tears just kept pouring.
It was painful to be laughed at and questioned by my own family. But the Lord spoke to me that the pain I received was exchanged with comfort that awaited me. Even though I was hurt that night, the Lord did not abandon me. All the pain I received became my strength to strengthen my faith in Him.
Through the continuous growth in the Lord and with the help of the Hope Bataan family and my leaders, I have also attended the Belong Class and became part of the core team. God is so good!
However, I have faced another trial in my faith. Slowly, I have been losing my connection with the Lord and even my identity as a Christian in my school. Instead of me influencing them, I am being influenced to do wrong things.
Because I wanted to be on top of my class, I neglected my relationship with the Lord. I am graduating now and during the 2nd quarter, I received the highest honor in our class, but you know what, I couldn't celebrate excessively. It feels like something is missing, and that missing piece is the Lord. It's not happy to achieve great things in life if it means distancing ourselves from the Lord. It's not joyful to have many medals someday if it means turning away from the Lord. I am not saying that we shouldn't study hard, as a student, it is difficult to manage our time, but we can include God in every aspect of our lives, including our studies. Because the Lord has a better plan for our future.
The Lord has tapped me once again and brought me back to the right path. As they say, there is a purpose for everything that happens in our lives. The purpose of my stumbling is to widen my vision on things. My character as a student has been built up, and I strive to improve my studies and as a Christian, to continuously approach the Lord.
So, my advice to my fellow students, to the youth, know your identity in Christ, and always raise your banner!
God is truly good. The Lord never changes, my brothers and sisters. God spoke to me through His Word in Matthew 6:33 – "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." I realized that no matter what situation we are in, we need to prioritize the Lord! He will bless us, and we should always follow the light that He brings. Through the grace of God, my siblings in faith, I am now able to overcome the challenges that come my way, and it's all because of Jesus Christ! He is my Shepherd who left the 99 for me.
Therefore, I am pleading with you, especially to the youth, let us surrender all our worries and problems to God, and let us start to break the chains in the name of Jesus. Our God is powerful and can help us overcome anything. Let us trust Him and follow the light that He brings. I hope that we can have a deeper relationship with the Lord and experience His powerful transformation in our lives. All glory belong to Jesus!"
