Hello West Family,
I would like to share with you my testimony of opening my heart to Jesus Christ and how He completely changed my life.
My mom left my father when I was around one year old. She soon remarried my stepfather, who she is still married to today. He had two daughters and one son. His son stayed with us more often than the daughters did, so I instantly gained a brother who I grew up with. He became like a blood brother to me.
We were raised going to church, but as time went on, we attended less and less due to constant fighting between my mother and stepfather. My biological father was barely in my life and lived in California, while I lived in Kansas. As we stopped going to church, it felt like my mom and stepfather became increasingly strict with us, and discipline became harsh—belts and paddles, being slapped in the face, soap shoved down our throats, etc.
Time passed, and we went through the typical phases—Boy Scouts, sports, family activities—and while at times seemed harsh, there were good times as well. I was diagnosed with depression in my early teens and was quickly put on medication, as that seemed to be the only solution at the time.
As we got older, my brother moved out after graduating high school. For his 21st birthday, he invited me to the lake with his friends. But at the last minute, he told me they weren’t going to the lake anymore and that I couldn’t hang out with them, probably because they planned on going to bars and drinking. That hurt me deeply.
So, on the night of my brother’s birthday, I ended up staying at a friend’s house. Strangely, I couldn’t sleep at all. I felt as if something wasn’t right. As I was tossing and turning, I heard my friend’s phone ringing in the middle of the night, which struck me as odd. His mom called downstairs to me, saying the phone was for me. I answered, and it was my mom. She told me something had happened, but she couldn’t talk and handed the phone to my sister. I was told that my brother Jason had been in an automobile accident and didn’t make it. My brother and his friend had both decided to leave an Applebee’s restaurant after drinking heavily and get into my brother’s friend’s brand-new Firebird. They made the tragic decision to drink and drive. They were traveling at a high rate of speed when they hit a telephone pole. My brother died instantly, and his friend barely made it out alive.
In an instant, my whole life changed. From that moment on, my life spiraled. I struggled with uncontrolled drinking, sleeping with different partners, failed relationships (one of which resulted in a child), and on-and-off jobs. Nothing seemed to be going right.
I prayed to God for someone to come into my life, and He gifted me with Elisabeth, who is now my ex-wife. I jumped into that relationship quickly. We lived together within three months, married soon after, and had two children. She essentially became the mother to my first child, as her mother was in and out of jail and struggling with drugs.
We bought a house, had three kids, and life seemed good. I opened my heart to God, and we attended church. But then, I wanted to live life my own way instead of following the path God had planned for me. Ultimately, I lost everything. Elisabeth and I divorced and ended up selling the house.
For the past 10 years, I tried living life on my terms. My mental health deteriorated, I was drinking excessively, and I even started taking pills. I slept with multiple women, and everything spiraled out of control. I treated my children poorly, and my anxiety, stress, and worries were overwhelming.
However, a couple of months ago, I made the decision to open my heart fully to Jesus Christ once again. I’ve completely changed my mindset and behavior. I am now more mindful of how I interact with people, especially at work, and I’m committed to not treating people poorly or gossiping about them. I’ve started reading the Bible every day and am trying to live by its teachings.
My children and I now go out and write Bible verses and encouraging messages on sidewalks with sidewalk chalk. We listen to Christian artists like you and sing along together in praise to Jesus. I even took my children to their first Winter Jam.
Jesus Christ is alive and can change anyone.
Thank you for your time.
Your Brother in Christ,
Brad
