I’m sure you’ve seen those testimonials on TV and on the internet that say: “This product changed my life!” In some cases, it’s true. In others, it’s not. Today I have a testimonial for you. I know that it’s true, because it’s mine. There are two books that changed my life, and I’m going to tell you what they are, and how they did.
The first one is obvious- my King James Bible. If it wasn’t for my Bible, I wouldn’t be saved. The Bible tells us that the only way to heaven is though repentance of sin and belief in the sacrificial death of Christ. It also tells us that Christ rose again the third day and now intercedes for us on the right hand of God. My Bible tells me how to live each day, and helps me find God’s will. It cheers me up when I’m sad, and helps me through the rough patches in life. My Bible has changed, and continues to change my life.
The second book that changed my life was “Just Friends” by Cary Schmidt and Mike Ray. I’d always heard that “God works in mysterious ways”, but I hadn’t really seen it in action until a few months ago. It was September of 2009, and I had just had my heart broken by a girl that I thought was “the one”. (Note: I was 16, so she obviously wasn’t, but I didn’t clue into that) I was looking on the Striving Together Publications website at the book “Different by Design” by Cary Schmidt. I had read about it in my Glow in the Dark devotional book, and decided to check it out. At the bottom of the page was a link to “other books by this author” There was a book that caught my interest, so I clicked on it. It turned out to be “Just Friends”
I was considering ordering it online, but didn’t want to pay the expensive S&H from California. A few weeks later, we found out that there was a Youth Conference at Bible Baptist Church, about an hour and a half away. God worked out my work schedule so that I could go, and it turned out that the speaker, Bro. Whitman, was from Bro. Schmidt’s church in California. He brought along some copies of the book, and I bought one for cheaper than on the website, even without the S&H!
I read the book the moment I got home, and have read it 5 times since! It showed me that it’s not caring FOR girls that’s important, it’s caring ABOUT them. Since I read the book, my view of girls and dating completely changed! Now I’m content to wait for God’s perfect choice for my life in His timing.
But that’s not where it ends. Around Christmas, I was looking for a book review about “Just Friends.” I found one on a little blog called “God Will Bless Those Who Wait”, run by a girl named Katie. After reading all the older posts, I found one where she asked for guest writers. Having a burden to share my newfound views on dating with others, and loving to write, I asked her if I could write a post. My first post received excellent feedback, and pretty soon I was writing for it once a month. Then, Katie decided to take a break from running the blog, and asked if I would take it over. So here I am now.
So there you have it, two books that changed my life: my Bible, which showed me how to know that I am going to Heaven when I die; and “Just Friends,” the reason that I am writing this post today. God does work in mysterious ways!
