Mike’s Story

Some time ago I entered the Life Change Academy, but did not stay for the entirety of the program, and there was a lot of shame and unforgiveness involved in how I felt about myself for that. When I returned I recognized some of the same faces. They welcomed me back with a smile, knowing this was a good place for me to be. Seeing their welcoming faces was a moment of realization for me that this was where I needed to be, and I made a commitment to God right then and there that I would stay for the entire duration of the program. It was time to let God do what I have needed to let Him do all along. That initial level of forgiveness for myself has really permeated all the way through my entire year here.

God never lets us go. He created us for Him, and He is jealous for our love and attention; walking away from that is never a good thing. I've spent a lot of time walking towards Him and a lot of time walking away from Him, and to really experience God's forgiveness consistently over time and pursue God's forgiveness consistently over time is what I believe to be the difference this time around.

I have changed my outlook on life so much because of the program. I have taken the blame for a lot of things in my life that, I have come to realize, did not belong to me. There were people in my life I felt I needed forgiveness from. In the past, I would put my trust in whether people forgave me or not, and that would influence how I let or didn’t let God in. In moving forward this past year in the program I have found meaning in trusting in God with that forgiveness. It belongs to Him, not me. 

I think the fruit of the sprit I have gained since accepting God into my life manifests in a lot of different areas of my life. Some major areas being acceptance, forgiveness, and letting go of the entanglement of blame and worry. To give the burden of worrying about the outcomes of my interpersonal relations to God really makes a difference in my day to day life. It may sound overly simplistic, but lifting a burden allows you to focus on things that truly matter to you. I have had the opportunity to fully do that this past year. 

I would tell the Mike that left the program last time around that other people’s priorities cannot be yours. I would tell him that God reaches out to us with individual purposes and fulfilling those is between you and God alone. Also, that no matter how much you may desire to pursue a relationship, your relationship with yourself and God must be primary. Nothing can get in the way or be above that.

Finishing the program this time around really is a point of security for me. I feel confident that the path I am taking now will allow my other paths to occur or be healed as a result of my salvation. There is an old saying… “nothing good comes overnight, nothing good comes without effort.” To me, that is the feeling that you get when you have worked hard to complete something. There is a level of self-respect gained.