Wambui's Christian Journey

My Journey Back to Christ
From the time I was a toddler through my high school years, Sunday school and church were a regular part of my life. I remember going nearly every Sunday. Sure, we may have missed a few Sundays due to illness or bad weather—we didn't have a car, and even heavy rain could keep us home—but in my memory, we were always at church. Even if my mother couldn't attend, she made sure that my sister, my two brothers, and I went. Summers meant Vacation Bible School, and no matter where we visited, church clothes were packed because attending service was non-negotiable. That was just how we lived.

However, when I graduated high school in 1968, I drifted away. I forgot about all those Sundays, and I started exploring other ideas. I questioned different beliefs, searching for meaning and asking, "What does this mean for me?" Those were difficult times, but even then, I gave credit for my survival and eventual good fortune to everything and everyone—except Jesus Christ. Many wonderful people helped me along the way, and I'm grateful for them, but now I know it was God who protected me and carried me through those trials.

For years, I would say, "I wish life came with a manual." Looking back, I realize it does—the Bible. If I had followed its teachings, surrendered to Jesus, and lived by His commandments, I could have avoided much of the grief I experienced. But, as they say, life has come full circle. Now, at 74, I've returned to where I started, back to God.

Six years ago, I decided to revisit the Bible and rediscover Jesus and God. Something sparked inside me, and I felt a pull to explore the Bible once again. One of the unexpected reasons that pushed me in this direction was the increasing opposition to Christianity and the Bible. It wasn't everyone, but a large group of people were speaking against the Bible and Christianity, trying to cancel anything related to God and Jesus. Whether it was questioning the presence of nativity scenes or even discussing banning Bible sales in some states, I started wondering—why this strong push against the Bible?

It reminded me of a scene from The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy is told to hold on to her magic slippers because the Wicked Witch wants them so badly. The Good Witch says, "Those must be very powerful slippers if she's after them like that." That's how I began to feel about the Bible. If so many people were so intent on dismissing it, I thought, "This book must be powerful. What am I missing?"

So, I picked it up again, and what I discovered amazed me. It wasn't that I hadn't been taught well in Sunday school or church. It's that I hadn't realized how rich the Bible truly is. Growing up, it felt like I was learning the same stories over and over—the Christmas story, Easter, Jonah and the whale, Jesus healing the sick. But as I delved deeper, I found so much more. Stories of inspiration, motivation, humor, and deep life lessons. The Bible was full of beauty and wisdom I hadn't known was there.

At first, I listened to tapes and CDs of people reading the Bible, and eventually, I started reading along. I've been having such a good time rediscovering God's Word, and I've decided I want to study even more. It's an incredible book, and I can't get enough of it. Though I was baptized as a child in North Carolina, I was born again in the summer of 2022 and baptized again in October 2022. My journey has come full circle, and I'm so thankful to be walking with Jesus again.