How God Found Me in the Dark

How God Found Me in the Dark

Earn your Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity today. Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) offers free high-quality online ministry training. CLI accepts any individual anywhere in their life to learn about Christianity. Read a student’s testimony below who explains how God found her in the dark. She found CLI as a tool to rediscover the pathway to Christ:

My name is Christine Winn, I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Now I live in Springfield, Missouri, the USA with my American Pitbull Terrier “Baby Girl”. I am a certified medication technician and I have been working in the nursing field for 10 years. In 2015 my father and I published the first book in a Christian fiction series titled “Rapture Theory Book I: Rise of the Anti-Christ”. At first, my family’s religion was Catholicism until my grandfather converted to Christianity. Therefore my parents, who were both baptized, raised my siblings and me as Christians.

When I did attend church as a child I remember waiting with anticipation for Sunday school to end so I could hear the preacher’s sermon. I also loved listening to my father and my uncle’s debate over each of their own interpretations of the Bible. The first time I asked Jesus into my heart was at church summer camp. Even there my favorite thing to do was go to Chapel. As I got older my family suffered tragedies that caused me to fall away from my faith.

My 18-month-old sister died in a fire when I was six years old. My parents grew angry at themselves and one another over the accident. They eventually lead our family to another accidental tragedy of my mother’s death by struggling over a gun she was trying to use on my father than herself, I was 13 years old. That lead me down a very dark path as a teen and young adult. A life full of sexual and physical abuse, premarital relations, alcohol, and drugs. A life I never thought that I would have.  After a scare with the law, I prayed a promise to God if I got out of it I would give my life over to him. Not long after that prayer I was set free. I decided it was time to clean myself up and finish school, so I did.

I was doing the right things by societal standards but I was still living my life the way I wanted to live it without regard to building a relationship with God. My Earthly relationships were more important to me. I ended up with a failed marriage, a suicidal attempt & cancer before I began a reassessment of my priorities and purpose in life. All this by the ripe old age of 27. I never had children before cancer took that possibility away so I found myself needing to do a soul search of why I am here. During my surgeries, I was helping coauthor the book I wrote with my father. It helped me from falling apart at that time altogether.

Still, I did not have a proper relationship with God. I moved away from my whole family to live alone in a new city over 2 hours away. As I’ve been digging within myself and my heart I have felt the call. I thought about all the terrible times in my life and looking back I can see how God was there and called out to me. I’m ashamed that it all comes down to the same reason why I ignored those calls, fear of what others might say or think about me. More so fear that given my history they would ridicule me for even thinking I could ever walk with God. I know now none of that matters. I’m ready now, after enduring my own personal trials and tribulations, to answer God’s call. I am amazed at how God found me in the dark.

What I hope to complete is the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity. I will then use my training for many different purposes. I believe God has given me the gift of being a great listener and speaker. I also feel a deep empathy for those in the world who are suffering. Some things I’d like to do would include going on mission trips all over the world, help bring back God into what seems to be a godless society more and more every day, as well as participating in local ministry through non-profits for those suffering alcohol/drug addictions but especially being a child abuse prevention advocate. I know the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity would help me accomplish my dreams and goals. I’m only just now getting involved in attending a local church since I am new to the area but I know I’ll find the perfect one to help mentor me to accomplish these goals as well.

That all being said I couldn’t accomplish any of this without the Christian Leaders Institute scholarship.  I have to work full time in order to provide for myself. It’s hard to find a quality and affordable program that is flexible with the scheduling demands of healthcare. God has his purpose for me in life and I am ready to pursue that. Without the Christian Leaders Institute scholarship and the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity, I couldn’t even dream of being able to accept that journey and answer God’s call. I thank CLI for being a tool in how God found me in the dark. It will also greatly enhance my walk with God to build a strong relationship that can be tested time and time again. God bless everyone involved that’s helping make people’s dreams like mine become a reality. For that, thank you and bless you.

Christine’s story of how God found her in the dark is just one of the many stories. Check out more stories about the impact Christian Leader Institute and the Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity is having in student’s lives on the CLI facebook page