Hello everyone. My name is Bethel, and I am so grateful to be standing up here this morning and sharing my testimony.

I had grown up in the church but never really felt like I had a personal relationship with God. After going through a number of major life events, I ended up drifting into the ways of the world as I grew older.

At this point, I knew who God was, but I was still relying on my own strength and confiding in worldly pleasures to fill the God-sized hole in me. This was a hole that only His love could fill. During this time, I would only speak to God in times of need, and prayer was more of a routine than a means of relationship.

In 2021, I thought I had reached rock bottom when I was institutionalized for my mental health, but I was wrong. Just earlier this year, I managed to spiral into the actual lowest point in my life. At this point, I had been led to believe that life was not worth living, and I had written goodbye letters to all of my loved ones. I felt that I had no one and nothing to live for.

And then it was there, in that place, where God met me in the midst of all my hurt and pain. There I was, on my knees, crying out to Him day in and day out to take away the pain. As much as I wanted my circumstances to change, He showed me that true change had to happen on the inside first. Since then, the last year of my life has been nothing short of transformational—all glory to God.

My hardened heart has genuinely been softened and changed. He replaced my heart of stone with a heart of flesh. God has opened the eyes of my heart, and I see life from a new perspective. To think that there was a point where I was surprised every time I would make it to a new birthday or that I made it through yet another year—to now seeing all the blessings and beauties of life. Jesus showed me that beauty can be found even in broken things.

I now know that nothing is impossible for God. No dream is too far-fetched, no relationship too broken, and no soul too far gone to be saved. I have come to understand a new level of forgiveness because I have been forgiven. His grace has shown me that our identity is in Him. We are not reduced to our worst mistakes or difficult past. In Him, we are a new creation.

Today, I am beyond ecstatic to declare that I am dedicated to living my life for Him. The sisters and brothers in Christ that I have made over the past year have been a perfect example of God’s love and blessings.

In no way am I perfect, but I am excited to live my life built on a strong foundation, with God at the centre of everything that I do.