Kim Tucker

I was 12 years old when I made the decision to follow Jesus. However, I didn't totally understand that following Jesus was about complete surrender – giving God control of my decisions and my life.

After I accepted Christ, I would talk to my friends about Jesus and invite them to church but over the course of a year, my lifestyle gradually started to change. My friends drank and eventually, so did I. I became very impulsive and lived for the fun of the moment. There were times I would think about my decisions and how they were not what God would want and I would pray, but not change my actions. By high school I had become very insecure, hateful and miserable. Several more bad decisions brought me to a place where I believed the lie that I needed to earn God's forgiveness if things were ever going to be right between us.

I finally came to a point where I hated how I was living and I surrendered control of my life to Jesus Christ. I wanted my life to be about Him and not me. The lie I believed about earning God’s forgiveness was removed and I finally felt a freedom I had not felt before. While my actions did not come without consequences, God has shown me His power and love through it all. He carried me through divorce, cancer, being told I would never have children and the death of my father. I could not have gotten through those times without Him.

God truly changed me and as I focus more on Him and scripture; the change continues. He gave me a Godly husband and two sons. Having them in my life is a constant reminder of His compassion and love. My decisions still aren't always the best, but they are being made by a different person with different purpose and what a difference it has made in my life.

Kim Tucker