My name is Gabriel and my parents are real Christians in every sense of that word. On the other hand, I was never too interested in God, although I knew that Jesus gave His life for me. I was a child just like all other children and I was doing the same things they were doing, whether my parents liked it or not.
When I became a teenager I started smoking, because all my classmates did the same. As the time went by, that wasn’t enough, so I started smoking marihuana in the eight grade, and I really liked it, even more so because I didn’t have to buy it. At that time, I was hanging out with some older guys who always had more than sufficient amounts of it. During the two years I tried speed, ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and different other drugs. Frankly speaking, I didn’t like any of that, and day after I would always feel really lousy.
This was a dark period in my life in which I felt completely empty. Doing marihuana was followed by a severe depression, which was further intensified by metal music I was listening to at the time. While listening to some song, whether it was sad or cheerful, I would, for no particular reason, start feeling totally depressed. I actually thought that my life was great, because I didn’t have to worry about anything, but my parents were really worried about me. My grades in school were lower and lower, and although I never flunked a year in school, the change was obvious to everyone, as well as depression which was visible on me like a dark shadow.
My parents saw all those changes and persevered in their prayers to God for me. One day I accepted their invitation to join them at one Christian conference. At that time I was listening to a certain foreign band who sang about how life is boring and that they know the end is near, but that only God may give the sign and that only God will offer His hand. Those were the verses I heard that day, too. The desire to give my life to Jesus Christ was growing in me and I prayed a prayer of salvation and gave Him all my weaknesses and pain. At the beginning, I didn’t feel any changes, but I was only trying to reduce swearing in my speech, to smoke less, etc. but that did produce results, and now I am free of all the problems I had in my old way of life. Good things replaced bad ones. My grades started improving, although I wasn’t studying very hard. As I was experiencing God’s help, my faith was growing, and with it also a desire to study, and so I became one of the best students in my class. Everyone was congratulating me, although I could thank only Jesus for all that was happening to me. He was the One who brought the change in my life and I will never depart from Him again.
All glory, thanks and praise belong to God who can change your life, too!
