Sandy's Story

I grew up in North Vancouver and as a young child and I was introduced to Christianity from a very early age. My mother was actively involved in the Church as a Sunday School Teacher and I attended Sunday school. The story of Jesus was really appealing to me. However, while I truly enjoyed the stories and Jesus’ love of children I really didn’t know anything about God. Certainly I had no clue that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit was related – let alone that each of them was joined as one-in-the-same.

As I grew older I moved through the various levels of Sunday School and “graduated” to becoming a regular Church attendee. During all the time I attended Church I continued to become more familiar with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit Unfortunately I can’t say that I had anything other than a rather weak understanding that was purely intellectual. I didn’t know it at the time – but obviously it was not yet in my heart. That said I did know God was there with me. Somehow I knew that I could feel God and I honestly felt that he was listening to me when I prayed.

During my late teens, and while attending university I stopped going to Church. I was no longer praying, I felt more self-reliant and my ego was getting in the way big-time. You know what though, I also felt a tremendous sense of guilt because I could still feel God and I was consciously pushing Him away.

After university I married and both my wife (who had also grown up in a Christian family) and I were not attending Church. It was only once we had children that we returned to Church because we felt our children should be exposed to Christianity. The experience was great for a while – but we knew our Spiritual needs were not being met. We felt God calling – but he was not where we were. So we began looking for another Church - one where we could feel that our Spiritual appetite was being met.

It was right at this time that God stepped in. Through my wife’s connection with Girl Guides she met an incredible Christian woman who had just moved to Victoria from the United States. It turned out that she and her husband had moved to Victoria to plant a Church in Oak Bay. My wife and I decided to give the new Church a try.

This was a pivotal moment for me. I still remember with great clarity the first time I heard her husband the Pastor preach. The feelings I had were remarkable – an incredible combination of being very excited and completely unnerved. I felt that God was speaking directly to me! For the first time all of the feelings that I had had and sensed since I was very young were smashing through my intellectual walls and striking right to my heart. I finally felt the assurance that my guilt had been taken away by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. This knowledge has literally changed my life!

Since that day I have tried as best I can to follow the path that God has set for me. Don’t get me wrong I am still a sinner. I am far more prideful than I would like to be and I certainly have my times when I resist the path the Lord is taking me down. However, I am calmer than I have ever been because I know that God is there for me. He is my rock.