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by Elena ChukreyevaWhen I was growing up, I was a lively child. When I began attending school, I loved my first grade teacher so much that I decided to become a primary school teacher. In the pursuit of this goal, I entered an education course that had opened in Kiev during my final year in high school.
There, for the first time, I saw the cruelty of some teachers towards children. "How is this possible?" I thought. "Children and adults should love and respect each other, shouldn't they? When I become a teacher, I'll do everything completely differently."
Four years at the Teachers' Training College passed, and for the first time in my life, I taught a first grade class. My first academic year was particularly full of joy. In the morning, I flew to school; in the evening, I came home exhausted. In my second year, something terrible happened. I became a cold, short-tempered teacher like most of the others around me.
I had wanted to change the system, to bring light and love to school, but the system had changed me. I became very disappointed with life. I didn't believe that my hopes would ever be fulfilled. More and more, I felt empty and didn't know where I was heading.
One day, a girl came running to me in the street and asked whether I believed in God and read the Bible. While at school, I had been firmly convinced that God didn't exist, so I never tried to relate to Him. But difficulties in life made me humble and I admitted that, in fact, I knew nothing. At that moment, I decided to find out if God existed.
I began to read the New Testament. The personality of Jesus Christ amazed me very much. The whole world recognizes Christ as a moral standard, so I couldn't conclude that, while He was teaching others to speak the truth, He was lying. In this way, I came to know that there is a God and that our problem lies in our disobeying His laws. I also understood that Jesus Christ came from God in order to die for our sins on the cross and to reconcile us with God. Finally, I realized that whoever believes this will receive God's forgiveness and eternal life.
I placed my trust in God and began to pray, asking forgiveness for my sins. I also asked Christ to come into my heart and to change my life. God revealed Himself to me, and I felt His great love in my heart. This is how my walk with God started.
The Lord is very kind toward me. He gave me faith and love; He returned hope to me and gave me a great desire to serve other people. My character changed. I became more patient and humble. Now, I have many friends with whom I am close and this is very important to me. Although my life has problems, I believe what is written in the Bible: "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed" (Romans 10:11).
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you'll experience life to the fullest.
