o WAYNE
I had it all coming up, a good family background, financial security, and a bright future. My mom was a teacher and my dad owned a business. I was raised with great core values and teachings all based in Christianity. Everything was laid out for me I can even still hear my father saying, “Just stay on the right track, just stay on the right track son”. I tried to, I really did I really tried to, but something was missing. I found Jesus at a young age, and I loved Him, but what bothered me was that I couldn’t feel Him, I couldn’t touch Him, I couldn’t hear Him, why didn’t He answer when I called on Him, why couldn’t I see Him moving? After awhile I just figured I’d push Him to the back, and maybe one day He’ll decide to come out. I knew that I was special and I know that I am meant for something great, but I couldn’t move if I didn’t have any direction, so I just said goodbye. I stopped going to church and some years went by, and to tell the truth if drugs and sex could be weighed on a scale of one to ten, then I was at ten+ a day. Living it up, smoking it up, addicted to sex with prostitutes, it was all such a rush. I figured we all have to die eventually so whether then or later I’ll do it big until I check out.
Living it up, but dying slowly, and honestly at some point I started to hate God. On the evening of July 5, 2005, my life changed drastically. The day before I had gotten into a very heated altercation, and when I think back on it my life would’ve ended up a lot differently had I actually done as I intended and shot the man I fought with. My older cousin talked me out of it, and I’m grateful that he did, because at that point I had realized that my life had come to a breaking point at which everything was being threatened to be destroyed. It was like I had gotten to the edge of a cliff and was getting ready to jump, but on the night of July 5th it was like God reached down from heaven, grabbed me by my neck, and said, “NO”. He said that He had never left me, that He loved me and always has, even when I tried my hardest to deny Him. Then He reminded me of all of the times when I should’ve died, car accidents, fights, never got a STD or any other disease, never did hard jail time, all because He said NO. That made me think, life with Christ has to be better than all of this. So Thank You Lord For Saving Me.