Kelly Jay – Why I Believe

I grew up in the protestant church and I gave my life to Jesus when I was six years old. There were many things I enjoyed about it, but overall attending church felt like a chore. I can remember the services feeling long and boring.

When I was twelve everything changed. I had decided I wanted to be baptized to profess my faith in front of my family and friends. Once I made that decision, I started experiencing a new found joy that I had never felt before. All of the hymns and praise songs I heard sung over and over suddenly made sense to me. My mom, who has always been a spiritual mentor, explained that I was receiving the gift of God’s presence, the Holy Spirit. This moment served to solidify my faith in Jesus.

Since that time I’ve come to recognize countless benefits of being a Christian. I could go on and on but for now I’ll share three of the reasons why I believe in Jesus Christ.

Being a follower of Jesus is a better way to live.

Your word is a lamp for my feet
and a light on my path. – Psalm 199:105 (CSB)

Through every loss and every difficult decision, God has been there for me to light the way.

In high school, when I was praying about what to do as a career, He highlighted pharmacy, providing a place to live, a roommate and money to travel for my studies.  I truly believe that my own fears would have easily got in the way of that decision without prayer. My gut was telling me to stay home as I was so home sick when thinking of leaving. I was terrified of the increased financial commitment of living in a new city. I was leaning toward engineering so I could study near home and family. But I prayed and He opened multiple doors for me to get my pharmacy degree.

In hindsight, I could clearly see that God had great plans on the other side of that tough decision. In pharmacy school, I met my future husband! That’s kind of a big one. God continues to lead me in every decision.  Of course, like any human, sometimes I fail and I forget to include Him in my problems. However when I’ve realized I haven’t prayed about something, it always helps to reset and to pray. He always responds whether it be to bring resolution to a problem or bring peace and wisdom to help me through the problem.

God uses everything, even my mistakes, for my good.

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:38 (CSB)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

I think one of my biggest personal struggles in life has been the fear of failure. I hate making mistakes, even little ones. I feel like my mistakes let other people down or they make those around me think less of me. I fight these thoughts almost on a daily basis. However, when I confess that I’m not perfect and that my heavenly Father is, He can actually use everything in my life, even my mistakes and imperfections, for His good.

Jesus is my best friend.

Come close to God and God will come close to you. – James 4:8 (NLT)

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Jesus is my friend. My very best friend. I know that God is with me all the time and that He hears me when I talk to Him. My relationship with Jesus means that in this life, no matter what happens, I don’t ever have to feel alone. When I was little we used to sing this hymn in church – What a Friend We Have in Jesus. I love this song because it highlights how I see my friendship with God.

What a friend we have in Jesus
all our sins and griefs to bear
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit
O what needless pain we bear
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer

Have we trials and temptations
Is there trouble anywhere
We should never be discouraged
take it to the Lord in prayer
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share
Jesus knows our every weakness
take it to the Lord in prayer

Jesus is my friend and I can tell Him anything. He’s not judgemental but will correct me and show me where I’m wrong like no one else can. He gives me peace when I’m afraid. He gives me courage when I’m feeling timid to try something new. He gives me strength to parent my kids. He gives me unity in my marriage. He gives me patience when I’m waiting for change to come. He gives me self-control. He gives me understanding and compassion for others. He gives me comfort when I’m grieving the loss of a loved one. He gives me all the things a great friend can give and more because Jesus is not just a great friend, He’s the perfect friend.

Until my dying breath I will tell the world why I believe in Jesus. He truly is my constant companion, my guide and my perfect Father in heaven.

It’s my prayer that if you are reading this today and you don’t know Jesus already as your personal friend and Saviour, that you would pause and be still for a moment and allow God to speak to you. In that moment when you feel His presence, I encourage you to submit to His loving voice and invite Him into your life.

Following Jesus does not mean you won’t experience pain and suffering, but accepting Him into your life in all His glory, power and love will make it better at every turn. It’s my belief that we were meant to walk this journey hand in hand with our Creator, but He loves us enough to allow us to come to that realization on our own. One step toward Jesus, one decision to believe in Him and I promise you it’s the best decision that you will ever make.

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33

You can find more people sharing the reason for the hope that they have here: Why Believe?