Storylines- Amanda Parrish

I was raised in a Christian home. Maybe not a traditional one, as my parents divorced when I was two, but my mom became a Christian when I was very young and she made sure to give me every opportunity to meet Jesus. We attended a small Baptist church and one Sunday when I was about nine or ten years old I knew it was time for me to commit my life to Jesus, so I marched down the aisle and that's what I did.

As an adult, I know that my aisle walk and whispered prayer that day isn't what saved me (although I believe my conversion at that point was authentic). It was the work of Christ who was merciful enough to call me to Himself. Although my conversion story isn't a 'radical' by some standards, the transformation is no less amazing. My heart was just as sinful as anyone's who comes to Christ, no matter their background.

Following my conversion and baptism as a young girl, as a high school student I was bold about my faith but at the same time rebelling against my mom, often lying to cover up my behavior. I was basing my sense of self-worth and identity on what my friends thought of me. I shamelessly chased boys and tried to find approval through their affections. This mindset continued through my early years at university where I would say my faith plateaued to a large degree.

But God had much more he wanted to accomplish in my life. I started dating Dave during my junior year of university. Although I had chased Dave as well, still looking for approval in the form of male affection, God used it for his good and we were married following our graduation in May 2006. We began to attend University Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was through the teaching there that we began to understand more fully who this Christ was that we had each committed our lives to.

The weight of his sacrifice on the cross began to sink in. Our sin and complacency started to become more detestable to us. Our utter depravity and complete inability to become holy through by our own strength sunk in. All this led to a deepened gratitude and joy in the fact that I am His. We got serious about our Christian lives and made more of an effort to make Christ a priority.

Dave's pursuit of a PhD let us to an overseas move to Glasgow, Scotland, where we live currently. Throughout that transition God has proved himself faithful again and again, providing somewhere for us to stay, giving me two different jobs at just the right times, leading us to a solid church home at Harvest Bible Chapel Glasgow and giving us friends that have become like family.

And now, I am in the process of learning that I don't have to 'find' my own identity or be defined by the love of any other person, but that Christ gave me my identity and purpose even before I was born (Jeremiah 1:5). I'm also learning my responsibility for avoiding sin - that it requires discipline in scripture reading and prayer. Every week we are challenged, blessed and spurred on towards that discipline by the relationships we have formed at Harvest. God has taught us what it means to be a part of His church and really love our brothers and sisters in Christ practically; what it means to give of our time, energy and skills to serve fellow believers for His glory.

Removed from some of the comforts I'd grown used to in America, I'm learning that Christ is totally sufficient. He is enough to satisfy the deepest longings of my heart and that living according to His standards is for our good, and gave us these standards in the scriptures because He loves us so much (Psalm 19: 7-11). I have learned that to glorify God, we must put him first in every single area of our lives - the way we spend our time and money, the way we treat each other, etc. And we know that even the desire to live for Him is a tremendous blessing given to us by the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-26). We fail regularly in meeting God's holy standards, but I love knowing that I am not saved through my own actions but by the work that Christ did on the cross when he bore God's wrath for my sin - a work which cannot be undone.

It is a true comfort to know my Heavenly Father knows and undertands my struggles and I stand more in awe of Him every day as he continues changing me to become more like His son, and I cannot WAIT to see Him when He returns to earth in glory (Matthew 24:30).