Who Once was Lost and Now is Found

So I was going to write something else besides this, but my day was long and I don't have the time to write at the moment. Instead I think I will post this story I wrote not even a month ago. It is an Op Ed piece written for a college writing course and even though my grade was lower than normal, I still wish to share it's contents, as it will help you readers understand me more.

God bless you and give you peace ~ Pyung Ahn

Who Once was Lost and Now is Found

I know a young woman who has completely changed over the course of a few months. This transformation was sudden, yet magnificent.

She used to keep to herself, her eyes dull and her laughter forced for her friends’ sake. She would disappear into an alternate reality created by computer games and the internet to avoid the responsibilities and hardships of everyday life. Her underlying personality was pessimistic and self-depreciating. She cared little for others, preferring only the company of herself. The only service she did for others was when that service benefited her too. A bad group of friends corrupted her morals and opened her mind towards the wrong things. Her true feelings were bottled up inside; her heart sheltered from the world.

But now she has changed.

Her eyes are bright and her laugh genuine. She greets friends with a smile and genuinely cares for those less fortunate. Her computer is no longer a lifeline; instead she clings to close friends who share the same moral values. Her heart has been opened fully, her emotions shown instead of building up inside. She spends time out with friends instead of isolating herself from the world.

What caused such a complete shift in her life? It’s rather simple actually: God. She committed her life to God and accepted Jesus Christ as her savior.

The Hebrew word shalom means peace, absence of worry, completeness, welfare and good health. This girl has found shalom, this inner peace, in worshiping God.

I am this girl.

I feel shalom, this inner peace, because I know that God loves me unconditionally. I have been reborn, and in some ways am a newborn child, seeing everything for the first time. I was saved when I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. I know the only way I can be saved from my sins is through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.

My past brings up many sins, some of which I repent for (pray for forgiveness and promise not to repeat) and some which I still deeply regret but cannot fully repent with my whole heart. Sometimes I question whether God can truly love a sinner like me. I know everyone is a sinner and no sin is worse than another, yet sometimes it feels like my sin is the worst. I have to be reminded that God is love and, thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, I am freed of my sins.

God loves me because Jesus died for my sins. I can mess up in the real world, yet so long as I continue to glorify God and thank Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross, I know I will always have that inner peace that only accepting God into my life has brought me.

The book of Romans says,

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:23-24).

Basically this passage of scripture shows how great Jesus’ sacrifice was on the cross, because it represented the ultimate price we pay for our sins (and we all have sins just because we are humans, and humans are imperfect). By having Jesus die for our sins (Jesus himself was God in human form and was pure and free from sin) we, as saved Christians, are forever seen as righteous in God’s eyes.

I am still learning much about god’s word through the bible. I have so much more to learn and I humble myself every day because I am so ignorant. All God asks is that we do not deny him and strive to follow his wishes as best we can. I live my life every day thinking how I can glorify Him day to day and asking for His guidance where I need it.

Isn’t it amazing how one catalyst can change everything? A change toward faith completely changed my life for the better. Now I love my life and live it in accordance with God’s will. Living in my new found faith has left me with an inner peace that is so precious in today’s fast paced world. I feel no need to care for my own desires, as I know God will fulfill them if I ask. I would rather help others and in doing so, share the love of God to those who do not know it.