Have you ever had an imaginary friend? If so, then you know how wonderful they were. They never said anything that was mean, and they would always do everything you asked. The only downfall is that you had to imagine them or else they didn't exist.
For the longest time, I had an imaginary friend. I was completely in control of everything that was said or what we would do together. The only problem? My friend was God. That's how I viewed Him; as an imaginary friend that would do whatever I wanted. I talked to Him when it was convenient, and I followed what He told me only when I felt like it. The rest of the time, I just did my own thing, Christlike or not. God finally grew tired of my using Him for my own convenience, so He showed me what life would be like without Him; He showed me the true meaning of sadness.
I never really figured out what triggered my depression. It may have been my parents fighting, my siblings moving out, or my weight gain. At first, I was simply an unhappy person. I remember crying, trying to pour out the pain through my tears, but nothing changed. After a while, I got to the point where I was numb to everything. I no longer had the energy to feel sad—let alone happy.
One night, I was lying in bed when suddenly I realized I wasn't numb! I could feel the pain I'd been hiding from myself for nearly two months. Right then and there, I finally uttered three words that would change my life forever: "Jesus, save me."
Two days later, my dad came home and told me about an essay contest. I didn't want to enter, but for some reason I agreed. That very day I began writing, though my first draft was terrible. I had no clue I could even write something that awful! Then I had an idea, if praying worked once, then it might work again. So I said three more words. "Jesus, help me." It worked. I submitted my essay, and I won! For the first time in three months, I was happy again. You know what I did next? I said three words one more time. "Jesus, thank you."
Ever since then I have decided to become a writer. It's what I feel I'm called for. It's how God saved me and it's how I can serve Him. My prayer as I tell my story is that you will come closer to God because of it. Even if only one person says one prayer because of this, I will be content. My mission in helping the Lord isn't to help thousands of people, it's to help the individual. It's to help you. I want to help you because of three simple words: Jesus loves you. And because of that, so will I.
"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven." —Psalm 107:28-30
—Anna
Anna's passions in life are God and writing. She loves reading, hanging out with family and friends, and playing with her adorable dogs. Anna is always excited to travel to new places and will never miss an opportunity to be random. She gets super excited for anything pink and fluffy, and sparkles are always an added bonus!
