Popular: Boys, Booze, and Jesus by Tindell Baldwin

Author:Tindell Baldwin [Baldwin, Tindell]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Biography, Non-Fiction
ISBN: 9781414375243
Amazon: 1414375247
Goodreads: 17131041
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2013-06-21T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

BABY STEPS TO FOUR O’CLOCK

FEEL FREE TO slow clap at this point. The battle is won. I’ve come over to the other side, and if this were a movie, the closing scene would be a tearful redemption followed by the credits. But becoming a Christian is just the start. If it were the climax, then everything else would be a piece of cake. When I became a Christian, my life felt like it really started. If my life looked like those plot charts teachers draw in ninth-grade English, we’d just be starting to climb the hill. Redemption and grace are amazing, but they’re just part of who God is. God is made of blessings and plans. Once I was redeemed, He started His story in my life. I was no longer writing alone; I had the best Narrator in the world alongside me, pushing me down the right path.

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean all your problems fade away, and it definitely doesn’t mean all your old habits die with your old self. You’ll still be tempted to act the same, tempted to put your hope in the same things, and tempted to think the same. The hardest part of Christianity isn’t accepting Christ; it’s what comes after that. It’s when He asks you to walk away from relationships, friends, and a life you were accustomed to. God asks you to make these decisions so you can see that He only wants what is best for your life. If you can walk away from the really hard stuff, then huge blessings are waiting at the other end.

God asked me to give up a lot; I had formed a life around my addictions, and walking away meant being alone. I had never really clicked with church girls. I hated being alone. I loved being surrounded by a group of people, but He was asking me to be alone for a while. When I finally walked away from my old life, He was waiting with a life full of blessings.

Once I removed myself from the group of girls I’d always partied with, I became really close with my family, which provided me with Christian relationships and a way to explore church. I started going home for family functions and talking to my family more on the phone while I was away. I found out that I really loved talking to my mom. I realized that while I’d given up a lot of old friends, I’d gained relationships that were there the whole time. I looked forward to the rare times we all got together. And being with my entire family was my new high. They were so loving and wise, and I knew I didn’t deserve their love.

It seemed that after I showed Him that I would truly give up anything for Him, God gave me the desires of my heart. He asked me to be obedient and take small steps toward Him. He didn’t ask that I change everything in a day; maybe He would have liked that, but life isn’t that easy.

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