He Saved ME

My faith has gone through a few roller coasters. I didn't like going to church for the following reasons: my parents used to force me to go with them to a catholic church. Not only was I bored out of my mind because I did not understand anything that the priest was saying, but I just didn't really see the point of it.

A few years later, my father met this priest, and they became friends. We started going to their services. These services were different because they usually took part on a weekday at night. Here again, I couldn't relate. I used to take my book and read it throughout the mass.

Fast forward a few years later and I am in high school. I started going to the youth group at my aunt's church. One of the many reasons why I enjoyed these services was because I would attend them with my sister and cousins. Here we sang songs of worship, I understood the sermons and they were relatable. After a few months, I graduated high school and my cousin went away to MA for college. We stopped going to church.

Throughout my life, my grandmother always told me “Tienen que buscar de Dios.” To look for Him and to worship Him because He is our only salvation. At times I found myself praying: Praying for the good of my family, praying for good grades, praying for the food that I ate. I prayed for almost everything and anything. However, I did not have a relationship with Him. 

When I went to college, I still prayed, but I did not attend church. My school had a chapel and they often held services which you guessed it, I did not attend. 

One evening, I was speaking to my friend Gloria. Gloria is one of the most influential people I have ever crossed paths with. I owe her so much and I feel like I can’t ever repay her. She brought me back to my faith. She told me about this song, Oceans by Hillsong. I listened to it and my life was never the same. I had it on replay, over and over and over again.

The more I got into the Hillsong playlist, the more my faith grew. I searched them up and saw that they had weekly services in NY. I kept researching to see if they had any services in MA and to my luck they did. However, it took me a while to figure out the logistics on how to get there. Once I did, I still hadn't shown up when I should have. Covid had hit, and then I went to study abroad. I graduated, and yet, I did not find any time to go.

After ending a relationship that put me through so many obstacles, I found myself completely alone. Yes, my family was there, but they weren't close. They all live in NY. The much needed hugs had to wait until my sister came to visit me for my birthday.

I tried to alleviate the pain by going out and partying. Until this time, I never truly found the point of going out and clubbing, so I barely did it. I started talking to other people and that did not work out either. I truly needed help and I knew that I was looking for it in the wrong place.

One night I found myself crying. Praying for the LORD to give me a sign, to let me know that He was with me. And I FELT it. I felt Him hug me. I felt Him hold me. The feeling that I felt was so strong, that I felt the relief of all the pain that I was carrying evaporate from my body. 

I thought that was the sign I was waiting for. I attended my first ever Hillsong service that Sunday on March 6, 2023. Since then, I have never been at such peace.

Finding a relationship with God opened my eyes. It has been the best decision I have ever taken. It taught me that I am never alone. That He is within me. It has taught me that His joy is irreplaceable. That the goodness that will come from Him, will overshadow any fear, rejection, sadness, negative thoughts, and disappointment that I am/will face.

I learned that it doesn't matter if you read the bible or even attend mass. When you come face to face with Him, He is not going to ask you if you have been good. He is going to ask you if you had a relationship with Him? 

I will forever be proud to say that I do!

Thank you for giving me the time of your day to read this piece. If you have any questions regarding anything do not hesitate to ask me. If you have any suggestions or want me to talk a specific topic, either hit the chat, or email me :)

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Stay tuned for my next blog -> The Light at the End of the Tunnel

XOXO Yerika