irongav.

My name is Gavin West. I was born and raised in Washington State, amongst lovely nature and (usually) friendly people. I was raised Christian, in a Calvary Chapel, with a strong emphasis on following the instructions of the Word of God, the Bible. I had a knowledge of Jesus Christ, His death + resurrection, and had faith God was real, but never had experienced nor logically broken down His existence. And this is how it was for some time! I had a childlike knowledge of God and Jesus' sacrifice for my sins.

When I was around 10 or 11, however, I became inexplicably and spontaneously overcome with a surpassing loneliness and a visceral fear + terror at camp one night, after a jumpscare (a toy car falling on the roof of the tent) caused me to yell in fear.
I could not shake the horror from my body. There was no reason to be scared, really, but I was uncontrollably scared to the point of crying.

Later, we (my brother and I) went inside to sleep instead. Inside my cousins' spare room, even then I was scared and felt alone, just... so alone. Eventually, I realized that though I knew Jesus died for me, and that God was real, I never experienced Him, was filled with the Spirit, and really... there it was. I had never actually put my true faith and trust in Him.
That night, right then and there, my brother walked me through it. My tears of loneliness and fear turned to tears of unimaginable joy, and my brother started to cry happily too, because he realized that his brother got a ticket to Heaven with him in that exact minute.

This alone is wonderful, and I noticed my life instantly improving in unquantifiable ways from then on, but I still had one major problem.
I was a pathological liar.
I felt an intense need to be... well, simply not myself; to be better than I was. And while that drive and desire isn't bad, the way I handled it was horrid. Instead of actually making improvements, I lied: my schoolwork, how often I practiced my instruments, if I did something wrong, etc. I made it seem like I was better than I truly was. This manifested not only in deception, but in frustration and bitterness. I unintentionally broke relationships I really wish I'd kept intact.
One day, at a ministerial conference, I was prayed over by elders to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and from that point onward, it just... stopped. I stopped lying almost entirely. Though it sounds crazy and probably like this itself is a lie, it's not. Well, it's crazy, but true.

So... what's the point? Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because you can have this too. I couldn't have stopped lying on my own, I know that. Because I tried and failed. I tell you now, however: my life is infinitely better with Christ, and I personally know hundreds more who can attest to this; of both my life and theirs. Yes - there are low points. Death happens. Heartbreak, decay, pain, suffering, loss of all kinds... they all still happen. But the hope of an eternally new life with God Almighty, beyond anything I could ever imagine? That keeps me going. Knowing that others can have it too if I just spread the word is an opportunity I'm not going to pass up.

If you want this hope and life too, it's simple as ABC.
A, Admit you're a sinner in need of a Savior.
B, Believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day.
C, Confess with your mouth that He is Lord.
That's it. Welcome to the family. If you're not ready yet, I have some wonderful resources below, that you might know this is true. I won't force you, though.
Thanks for listening. I love you all.

Ave Christus, Rex Caelorum, Et Dominus mundi et omnium animarum.