I gave my life to Christ when I was eight years old. I was blessed with parents that made Jesus a priority in our home, they took me to church where I heard the Gospel and continued those conversations at home.
We were living in Pennsylvania at the time and I remember my sister, who is three years older than me, going off to church camp for the weekend. When she got home she told my parents that she had put her trust in Jesus. I remember my parents getting excited and calling friends and family to tell them the good news. I knew who Jesus was at this point in my life. I knew that he was the son of God and he sacrificed himself for our sins on the cross, but I didn’t understand what it meant to give my life to him. That night I began to ask my parents what it was that my sister did at camp that was so exciting. My mom explained the Gospel to me, she explained sin and how we need a savior, she explained exactly who Jesus is and how he lived a perfect life and died on the cross for our sins, and finally she explained how Jesus rose from the grave concurring sin and that if we trust in him we will have eternal life with him in heaven. After a few of these conversations I too chose to trust in Jesus.
At just eight years old it would be easy to think that my life was not altered in a big way by my decision to follow Christ, my sins at the time were not the things we would consider “big” or “serious” but in reality my life was changed in every way. My desire to read and know God’s word grew, my outlook and perspective on life was changed and my purpose in life was completely altered. I was no longer living for myself but for a much higher calling. A calling to glorify Christ and share his Gospel with others, much like my parents shared with me.