The other day my cousin saw me reading my bible & asked me
"Dia how do you even know God is real"
And my first reaction was just speechless. Like I did not know what to say.
How can I expect to be a pastor when I'm older, if I can't answer a simple question like that.
Despite my speechlessness, I answered
"Because I've seen him do some amazing things with my own eyes"
See I grew up and was taught to believe. But in the back of my mind, I never really thought for myself.
So when I was 17 I researched other religions, strayed from God, and was doing my own thing.
During this time 3 specific things happened to me from God to show me that he was real.
Twice isn't a coincidence, 3 times isn't conspiracy. It was all just God.
1. The very first time I truly felt God speak to me and show me he was real was on September 11, 2012. On that day I was attempting to get over the breakup of my exboyfriend. To ease my mind after school me and my friend went to see a movie because we were tired and had no where to nap. I planned on going to the volleyball game after with her, and to a football game after that with my other friend, which happened to be at my ex-boyfriend's school. As me and my friend were walking into the movie theater we hear a thump on the window, we look down and see a hummingbird that crashed and fell. We see the bird fighting for it's life on the ground, blood dripping from the side of it's mouth, gasping for air and suffering. My friend and I decide to pray for the bird to be put out of it's misery. As we turn look for something to kill the bird, we turn around and see it hop up. It began walking and eventually flew away. This was amazing to me because less than 1 minute earlier the bird was literally DYING. I mean it had blood coming out of it and it was hyperventilating it was CRAZY. I thought how God saved this creature was just absolutely incredible. After that we went and saw the movie, I went to the volleyball game and was waiting for my other friend to come get me so we could go to the football game. My other friend texts me that she is running late but nevertheless she comes. So we are about 30 minutes late to this game and as we're getting closer we miss our exit. Being 16&17 years old we have no clue where to go, so as we're in the car and I'm telling her about the breakup I just had we turn down a road we had never been on before and we see a person walking. We slow down and guess who it was, my ex. If she hadn't been late, and if we did not turn down that road, we would not have seen him walking which led to us getting back together eventually and another year worth of a relationship. I really planned on never speaking to him again at that point so if we didn't see him I don't think we would have had that 2 year long relationship which helped to make me the person I am today. I believe that all was in God's plan. The hummingbird was the main sign because at first I thought it was a metaphor for my ex, in how his old self was dying but God renewed him, but as I've grown I've seen that the hummingbird was a symbol of me and how my life crashed and just when I was on the edge of death, God saved me.
2. Many of you have heard of the book/movie "Heaven is for real" well during the summer of 2013 when my life was changing for the better I read that book and it was another factor to my change. In the book the dad sees a rainbow outside and calls his son Colton outside to see it and when the boy comes he merely says "oh cool, I prayed for that" then walks back inside. The faith of the child is incredible to me because he believed he would see the rainbow, he asked God for it, and there it was. Right after I read this part I prayed to see a rainbow. Call me childish, but I really could not remember the last time I had seen one. Two months go by and I promise everyday I waited for that rainbow. I looked and looked and prayed even more, and I failed to see it. I began to doubt God a tad, because he couldn't do something so simple. But I kept my faith and just kept being patient. By this time, 2 months later, I was off to college and my mom and I planned a surprise visit to my brothers football game. When she got me I was reunited with 2 of my sisters and 2 of my brothers and sat in the stands thanking God I had such a wonderful family. It began to sprinkle and minutes later, it was sunny. Then behold, a rainbow. I told my mom "mom I prayed for that two months ago and I'm barely seeing it" she told me that maybe God wanted me to be able to see it while I was actually in the presence of my loved ones. Some might say this is coincidence, but I know if I had seen this rainbow while I was by myself it would have had much less significance. I believe he waited until my faith was high enough, and I was with my family to be able to experience this moment.
3. Now for the all important 3rd reason I know God is real. When I was 16 I decided to move out of my moms house in with my dad. This resulted in my mom moving to austin and me getting together with my first love. Also I moved to college. These three very things are what resulted in my falling in love with Jesus Christ. My first love and I were on and off for two years and during this time when I felt alone I would run to God. During my senior year I had no clue where I was going to go to college. I didn't know If I was good enough to play anywhere, nor did I receive any calls until about February. So in march I got another two calls from schools. One from TLU, 2 hours from home, & the other from UT Tyler. I commited to TLU and I tried my best to go there but we just could not afford it, I cried because I couldn't go and I knew it meant there was no way me and my ex were going to work out. In august of 2013 I moved to Tyler, Texas for college and was 7 hours away from home for the first time in my life. I had recently broken up with my ex again & was not on good terms with my mom. I recently had read the book heaven is for real, saw the movie temptation, went to holy land in Florida and was planning to turn my life around. When I started college I created a whole new persona of myself. I vowed to love God, be a better person, and forget who I use to be. As I was getting over a heartbreak I was falling for Christ and he was making me whole again. This I can't explain, but I found myself smiling more than I ever had in my entire life. I asked for forgiveness for all those I hurt as well as forgave all the people in my life who hurt me as well. I was a brand new me, not too far from the old, just a better version of my former self. I was happy. I became saved.
I was crucified in Christ (Galations 2:20)
I played basketball this year in college and all year we talked about winning the conference tournament and getting a ring. I had never been on a winning team before so this was in my wildest dreams. After 5 months of blood sweat and tears & lots and lots of prayer, we did it. God gave us the ASC title and a ring. I knew then that God made me go to Tyler for a reason. My teammates became my family and them alone is enough of a reason I know God is real.
If you don't love college, I guarantee you just aren't at the right one!
So how do I know God is real?
Because even after all I've been thru, After all the mistakes I've made, all the tears I've cried, God continues to forgive me, show me he is real, talk to me, love me, save me, and give me JOY
I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY EVER AND IM JUST A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT.
It's all about perspective.
I have an amazing family
I have dreams
I have a GOD who loves me unconditionally
I have a roof over my head
And I'm playing freakin college basketball man,
What more could I ask for.
