From the Greatest Depths to the Greatest Love

Before beginning my walk with Jesus, I had a deep feeling of loneliness and isolation. I felt that nobody really cared about me or at the very least wanted to understand me.

I remember on a few occasions sitting at the bottom of the stairs in my childhood home just crying. If I was asked why I was crying, I could not give an answer and therefore I was left alone to be by myself.

While in elementary school, I attended West Richmond Gospel Hall with my sisters who were invited by some friends. Although I only attended for a few years, the seeds of the gospel message were sewn in my mind through the Bible stories, songs and memory verses that I learned. It was not until I was 19, when I started attending church again with my then future husband, that I truly accepted the Lord as my Savior. I finally understood that Jesus loves me unconditionally just the way that I am and has known me better than I could know myself since the beginning of time. I was born with a purpose and have always been part of His greater plan.

Having understood the depth and breadth of God's love for me, I knew I would never have to feel alone or unworthy of love ever again.

Even knowing this, I never felt more alone or unworthy of love than when I was in the depths of depression after the birth of my firstborn son. When asked by my doctor when my depression started, I had to really examine my past and I discovered that I had suffered from depression for as long as I could remember. It had simply taken the birth of my first child and related hormonal imbalances to exacerbate the condition. I truly believe that God's love for me gave me the ability to identify my depression and the strength to ask for help. God has been with me the entire time and carried me through the lowest point of my life. Knowing this helps me to truly grasp God's neverending love for me.

I am so excited to know Jesus as my Savior! Knowing he loved me enough before I was even born to die on the cross for me; knowing that he remains faithfully at my side sometimes even carrying me through my life gives me the assurance that I will one day be with him in Heaven for an eternity!