I was raised in a family marked by generational faithfulness and decided to follow Jesus when I was five. My parents wanted to ensure I was making the decision for myself, not saying things because I thought I should. I truly believe I understood the truth that Jesus died and rose again to save me from my sin, and since then, I can't remember a time without Jesus.
From a young age, I felt very strong convictions—which I can look back now and see as evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in my life—and I really struggled with perfection. In the attempt to have even better grades, I started cheating on my homework in middle school, which led me to question my salvation: How could I be a follower of Christ if I was still sinning?
I confessed to one of my camp counselors that summer, and she encouraged me. She said this instance shouldn’t cause me to question my salvation. She saw how the Lord was living and working through me. I realized nothing I did would change God’s view of who I was or the status of my salvation.
In high school, I was reminded of that truth when I confessed to my dad I had been consuming inappropriate content online. He was disappointed with me in my sin, but he met me with so much grace, telling me he loved me no matter what I did because I was his daughter. I got a glimpse of God’s heart toward us in that moment: He receives us like a loving, gracious, and compassionate father. Grieved by how my sin broke God’s heart, I turned from it and didn’t look back.
When I went to college, I wanted to commit to a local church and find other followers of Jesus. God answered my prayers almost immediately. At the first church I visited, a girl in the row in front of me invited me to join her small group. God quickly provided community, faithful friends, and spiritual mentors.
As people in my church encouraged me and helped me mature in my faith, I experienced how much of a blessing community really is. It felt so easy to spend time with other followers of Jesus. However, when I moved to Dallas after college, I learned that deep fellowship with others can sometimes be incredibly difficult.
After a very close friendship ended abruptly, the Lord showed me I still had room to grow in spiritual maturity. He was gracious to place another friend in my life who taught me how to handle conflict in a godly way: If I can’t overlook something, I should go to them directly, own the ways I’ve fallen short, ask for forgiveness, lovingly communicate ways they had hurt me, and forgive them. It took four years and a lot of humility, but by God’s grace, he restored that severed friendship.
God is in the business of restoring relationships. Not only did he bring total reconciliation between my friend and me, but he reminded me that through Jesus, he had reconciled me to himself when I surrendered my life to him as a kid (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
I believe coming to know Christ’s love at an early age ignited my heart for helping kids know his love early in their lives, too. It started with serving in kids ministry in high school and with Watermark Kids Midweek after college, and later, God gave me the opportunity to serve an elementary student with autism in Kids Midweek. I loved getting to be his leader, and I was grateful to discover how I could continue serving precious kids with additional needs through Watermark’s Additional Care Ministry for Kids and Students.
In Additional Care for Kids, each child gets partnered with a volunteer leader who gets to be a one-on-one “buddy” who worships with them and helps them with the lessons. My buddy right now is a little boy named Jonathan, and he’s the sweetest. My whole heart beams getting to watch him become more comfortable around leaders and peers, more confident in himself, and more excited to learn about Jesus each week.
As I have gotten to know and care for Jonathan, his parents, Kyle and Liz, have been so intentional in knowing and caring for me. Even though they could remain content with a passing greeting every Sunday, they have gone the extra mile to make me feel appreciated. They have invited me over for dinner, taken an interest in my life, and encouraged me in many different seasons.
Through the Johnsons, the Sullivans (another family I’ve served), and my community group, I’ve learned that this is the kind of life we are called to in the family of God: sharing lives, serving one another, forgiving one another, and encouraging one another. This family has helped hold me when I have felt broken and pointed me back to God and his unfathomable love and grace.
Even through sweet and hard seasons, I continue to experience how God is faithful and desires a deeper relationship with all of us. Through Christ, God gives us all a place to belong in his family. I used to think my story was less valuable because there was no radical lifestyle change, but I’ve come to realize any story of God’s transformative grace is one worth telling.
Learn more about additional care for kids, students, and adults with special and additional needs.