I think this is what most call a 'testimony'

I grew up in what we Presbyterian's call a 'Covenant Home,' which is just a fancy way of saying I was brought up as a Christian. My parents are both strong Christians, I was homeschooled, my church was a big part of my life, etc. To me, God had always been there, and I couldn't imagine other people not knowing about Him.

Because I had a 'Covenant' childhood, I never had a moment where I truly gave my heart to Jesus. I guess it was just kind of expected that I already had, since my parents were Christians and I'd always gone to church. I do vaguely remember a night when I was seven, and I got out of bed, knelt, and told Jesus that if He came into my life, I would promise to be a good sister and daughter {oh, I was so cute back then}. But even that wasn't an actual giving up my life to Him.

Time went on. Two years ago I attended WorldViews Academy for the first time, and met other girls struggling with the same issues I was. I started blogging, and realized I wasn't alone in my trust issues with God. I made dear friends in Christ, who uplifted me and showed me how much He loves me. 

And somewhere between all of this, I found Him. Sure, I'd had Him before, but not like this. This was God showing me how deep His love is for me by being my Best Friend. Me, a sinful teenager, had a best friend in Jesus! It was almost too amazing to believe. 

But believe I did, and from 2010-on God made it even clearer how treasured I was to Him. When Mom-mom died, I turned to Him for comfort. When my soccer team fell apart, He became my Best Friend. When I thought I had no close friends on earth, He reminded me of Emily and brought me poncho pals and soul sisters. Whenever I felt hopeless and beaten down, He raised me up with a lyric and a loving touch.

This is the face of a girl who knows how much her Savior loves her. The face of a girl who can now say, with confidence, "I have a friend in Jesus." The face of a girl who knows Christianity isn't about rules or  modesty or boredom or guidelines----it's about a relationship with Him who died on a cross for her. And that is the most wonderful relationship in the world.