I realized that I have never shared the story of how I ultimately decided to embrace Christianity. It might be beneficial for those facing a similar journey or feeling uncertain about their beliefs.
To provide some background, I did not grow up in a religious environment. Coming from Detroit, I was raised as an inner-city child and my childhood experiences were not centered around religion. Without delving into specifics, I faced the typical challenges that many inner-city kids face. I did not come from a traditional nuclear family, although we lived in a nice house and my family looked after me. Nevertheless, we were still impacted by the realities of city life. These details are best reserved for another time and another story. Let’s just say the focus was survival.
Undoubtedly, my faith in a divine creator has always been unwavering. Back in my elementary school days, I took it upon myself to write a compelling essay on the existence of God, without any prompting. I have always been certain that there is a greater purpose behind our existence, rejecting the notion of it being merely a random event or a stroke of luck. However, my beliefs did not include Jesus in this spiritual equation.
During my teenage years in the mid-1990s, I was introduced to the internet, which opened up a whole new world to me. As a result, I found myself drifting further away from Jesus. It’s no surprise that as a young person, the stories in the Bible may seem like whimsical fairytales, with talking plants and animals, and miraculous events like walking on water and resurrection from the dead.
I found myself leaning towards mocking Christians on the internet rather than engaging in what I considered to be absurd actions. I saw myself more akin to Saul, who transformed into Paul. I could present a convincing case that Jesus was neither the son of God nor a genuine historical figure. The idea of debating this on online platforms sparked my interest and excitement.
My exploration of criticizing people online for entertainment actually led me on a long journey towards deepening my connection with Jesus. This realization didn’t occur overnight, but gradually, things began to fall into place. One of the initial realizations was that Jesus, in fact, existed as a historical figure. Surprisingly, there is a wealth of information available about his life, more than what is typically found in standard history textbooks. However, this alone wasn’t enough to fully convince me.
A few years later, in my early 20s, I found myself deeply depressed and feeling lost in terms of my life purpose. One day, I received an invitation to a “lock in” event at a church. I decided to attend, thinking I had nothing to lose. To my surprise, I was welcomed into a warm and inviting community of people my age. The prayers, the singing, and the pastor’s charismatic and phenomenal speaking skills all resonated with me. Before I knew it, I found myself actually attending church services regularly.
But I still wasn’t fully convinced to actually take the plunge, pun intended, into the baptism pool. It still seemed creepy and cultish. I met with the pastor and this actually didn’t help the cause. He sat in his fancy suit in his office, cross-legged and filed his nails as I was asking random questions because I really didn’t know what to ask. I felt like he wasn’t even listening. It was a turn off and I kind of hit a road-block.
Soon after, I found myself back home in Detroit. I resided near Joy Road and Southfield. Those familiar with the neighborhood may recognize the name “MurderMac,” a McDonald’s nearby that earned its moniker for a reason. Situated across from the Harman Garden projects, it was clear that safety was not a top amenity in this part of the city. One night, as I slept on my couch with my son, we were abruptly awoken by the unsettling sounds of gunshots and police sirens in my front and backyard. Sadly, this was a common occurrence in our neighborhood.
What truly caught my attention, however, was the TV playing in the background. It was showing a program about the 12 followers of Jesus and the tragic endings they met. Each of them had faced execution in brutal ways, yet they remained steadfast in their beliefs until the very end. This revelation deeply impacted me and prompted a significant change within myself.
On that Sunday, I attended a Church with a lingering sense of change within me. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling prompted me to rise when the pastor extended an invitation for baptism. I could almost hear cheering emanating from the congregation, but my emotions were too intense to fully comprehend. As I adorned a white robe and ascended the stairs towards the baptismal pool, the pastor began to speak about me, recalling details from our previous conversation in his office. It became apparent that he had been attentively listening all along. I was now officially a Child of Christ.
