ALICIA // THIRD YEAR LAW

Accumulation of sin led me to distance myself from others, especially my spiritual family. I found it hard to talk about the Bible and share freely in church when I knew I had done things I was ashamed of. There was a strong desire to flee from God because of how undeserving I was of Your love. Knowing God since young, it was even easier to recognize my unworthiness, which only reinforced the temptation to hide.

I remember writing to You in my notes app when I was 15, and telling my mom about something I’d done. That night, my heart was so heavy, but You were right beside me then. This was when I encountered You the most. You already knew my sin and me making the choice to confess it to you then allowed me to feel calm and at peace. I felt the physical manifestation of your grace through my mom’s gentleness, and it was through this experience that I truly found comfort in your presence. You showed me how You chose people in spite of their unworthiness. It is because of this that makes the freedom of worshipping you so much more real and encouraging.

To me, freedom is about redemption. The Christian life has always been about complete surrender to God’s will and holding strong onto our faith. Because of Jesus has died for us, we are granted the freedom from slavery to sin and death. Because there is trust and hope and faith, we are no longer enslaved to sin and fear. There is no need to fear for my reputation or perception in others’ minds because we will all fall short of the glory of God. What is important is that we can freely choose to belong to God wholeheartedly through confession and repentance, and take comfort knowing that Jesus has already bore the cost of our sin and forgiven us.