God's mercy on me

Before I met Jesus and received eternal life, I had lots of insecurities, grief, worries/anxiety, and fears.

Before I met Jesus and received eternal life, I had insecurities that stemmed from being a mother. My family and I moved over from Vietnam and my daughter was only 16 years old. The culture that I was born into was different from the one here. I had lots of worries and was anxious for her future. She saw a new and exciting world, but I imagined the opposite. When we first moved here, she started hanging with friends and staying out late. I feared for her because I didn't know the kind of friends she was making. Would they peer pressure her into bad things? She was naïve; would they lure her into selling her body? There were moments where I would yell at her, hit her, cry with her, speak softly to her, beg her to not leave the house, but all of that still caused her to drift away... I questioned myself, "Why is this happening to me? Why am I stuck in this bad circumstance with no way out?"

My sister in law asked me if I'd like to attend the Thanksgiving event at church and I attended. After awhile, the pastor's wife extended an invitation for me to come to church. It was on a Sunday in the year 1996 in December, that I heard God knocking on the door of my heart. After accepting God, I came home and felt a new presence in my family. God had me and changed me; he showed me the way I disciplined my daughter was wrong. He opened my eyes and I was convicted by His word. The Lord was compassionate, gracious, slow to anger and never blaming, but I didn't have those characteristics instead I was opposite. In John 17:15, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" and John 17:17, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth". The Holy Spirit opened up my heart to accept the truth and the truth shines light in all the dark places of my heart. I called my daughter to say sorry, that my actions and words were not right. At that moment, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders...

Now that I have eternal life, I have real peace and joy that comes from the Lord, not what the world has to offer.

He brought my daughter back and God reminded me of Isaiah 57:18, "I have seen their ways, but I will heal them; I will guide them and restore comfort to Israel’s mourners" and promised me Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants". Now that I have eternal life, I have real peace and His word sanctifies me. He didn't just save me but my husband, daughters, son in law, and my grandchildren. This was beyond my imagination and could never fathom it. Now my daughter seeks the Lord herself and is continuously being changed by Him. Looking back at my life, all the trials, challenges and storms of life, He was always beside me and granted me peace. I thank God for His love and greatness. There's no way to share all of which He's done for me! Jesus guided me and my family and I'll never forget what He said to me in Isaiah 54:10, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you".

The life I live today, is no longer I who lives, but it's God who lives in me! I live in faith in the Son of God, the one who loves me and has sacrificed Himself for me. Amen!