I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know Christ. I was taught about Jesus as a young child and attended church through elementary school. Although I didn’t really understand the gospel and didn’t have many Christians in my life, I felt God’s presence and had a desire to do what was right in his eyes. I prayed to accept Christ as my Savior several times during my childhood at various church events - I wanted to make sure that I had become a Christian! I do believe that I was saved as a young child even though I still had a lot to learn about what that meant. I feel that God protected me from many things when I honestly didn’t know God’s instructions for his children. I started attending church regularly and learning more about the Bible in college. It was in graduate school, however, when I truly began to grow in my faith. Throughout my life, I can see that God just pulled me towards him. I always wanted to know him better and never doubted his presence in my life. That is all his doing! He has been so faithful to give me that assurance throughout my life. I did not do anything to earn my salvation, and my good works would never be enough for me to enter heaven. God sent his son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. He defeated death, and because of that, I am forgiven for my sins and can spend eternity with him. Psalm 71:3 has always felt very personal to me: “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”