What's My Story
Abundant Life
Keith Budlong
I was very fortunate to grow up in a good home, where my mother took me to church on a regular basis. I learned a great deal about God and the Bible, but I never really thought about how anything eternal applied to me personally.
During a relative's funeral, I found myself wondering how anyone knew whether someone was going to heaven when they died. Then I began wondering how I could know whether I was going to heaven when I died. This left an emptiness inside me and an overall lack of peace in my life.
Shortly after that, someone shared with me how I could receive eternal life and I did.
From that moment on, I knew that whenever my day came, I would spend eternity with God in heaven. Then I realized that eternal life was even more than that. It started here. I experienced a joy and a peace that I never had before.
Don't get me wrong. Life has not been perfect. I have been through some difficult experiences since then; however, knowing that God is right there with me gives me a strength that I didn't know existed.
The Bible says, "The thief comes only to steel, kill, and destroy; but I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." I've seen both sides, and I now understand abundant life. My life has purpose, joy, and confidence that cannot be taken away.