For most of my life, I did not follow Jesus. It’s only been about 5 years since I read the entire Bible and believed. Life before God was… rough. It was a desperate search: for answers, for love, for peace in my heart. A search that wielded no results. My search lasted for 18 years. Without God, that search was futile, and I ended up with nothing to show for it.

I never had even the most basic understanding of Jesus, so I went headfirst into the new age and witchcraft, back when Wicca was super popular (almost like a trend) and aimed mostly at teenaged girls. So… what was life like?

Desperate. Like being thirsty and searching for water. And my “spiritual practice” required me to buy so much stuff. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but there was definitely a competition on who had the best altar, who had the most Tarot cards, who could afford the best online courses. There was always a new idea: which meant there was always a new book to buy. A new guru to follow. A new hot trend to catch. The landscape was ever-changing, which was dizzying.

Exhausting. Trying one thing after another. A spell, more crystals, chakras, spirit guides… It was constant work, work, work. And why wouldn’t it be work? We considered ourselves goddesses, literally creating our own lives, which meant we had to do everything on our own. Even when I got sick, it was my own fault. And it was up to me to get better.

Contradictory. So, we value all life except in utero? We’re all about peace but worship very violent ancient gods/goddesses? We’re not about materialism, but look at all our stuff?? We’re about peace and acceptance except for Christians? We’re respectful to all religions but misinterpret Buddhism, Hinduism, and others? We’re in an “ancient” religion but there’s always a new trend? We literally bring stuff to ourselves with the law of attraction, even sickness, but we give a pass to cancer because it’s cruel to say that to cancer patients? Mmm. The list goes on and on.

I would sum it up as dying of thirst and grasping at mist to try to quench myself.

Life after Jesus is the complete opposite of what I used to experience! Jesus gave me water that quenched my thirst fully. It gives me life, and my cup overflows daily until I can’t help but to share the love of Jesus with others 🥰 I have answers, with a book that has been researched and studied and has been historically proven to be true ~ the Bible. I have answers, love, peace in my heart!

I don’t have to buy anything to follow Christ 😊 I don’t need things. I don’t need a fancy altar to post on Instagram, or crystals, or stuff to try to get His attention. I have my Bible ~ and you can find the Bible free in many places. There’s no “practices” to try. God has all the power, and He is in control of my life. If I get sick, it’s because of a bug, or a virus, or just life. It’s not my fault and I didn’t “deserve” it or “call it to me.” Do you know how freeing that is?

There are no contradictions with God, and He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:7-9). We do respect and value all life, even though we are all sinners, because we were all made in the image of God. After Jesus, I have become a much more calm and peaceful person, and I try daily to do what is right ~ not because I’m afraid I won’t go to Heaven (that’s not how that works) but because I love Him so much that I want to do what is right!

You can read more about the Gospel of Jesus here, and you can also ask as many questions as you want on Got Questions ~ you can get creative, even. The website was a huge help to me when I first became a Christian, and I hope it’s a good resource for you too!

Other resources I used and recommend:

BOOKS
The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel.
Cold-Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace.
NIV, True Images: The Bible for Teen Girls (easy to comprehend).

YOUTUBE CHANNELS
Melissa Dougherty (especially helpful to those leaving the new age).
Mike Winger

BLOGS
Reasoned Cases for Christ
Ettinger Writing
(These blogs were not chosen by preference or favoritism 😊 they were chosen because I read them and learned from them the most in my journey ~ if you’re a Christian blogger, trust me, I still love your blog!! 🥰)

If you want to know more about Jesus Christ, please check out the resources above. If you have any questions (in good faith) I would be happy to help in the comments.

Take care and God bless,

✿ Lovely Panda Mom ✿

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

John 14:5-11 NIV

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