The path I've taken...

*This was supposed to be posted last night.. but didn't finish it.

I received Jesus Christ as my savior today. For the first time in years, I could hear my heart speak truly of what I feel about my relationship with God. I have accepted Jesus Christ in my heart a long time ago but it was the first time that I had someone give me preachings about it. And it was really enlightening. I thought I wouldn't be affected by the testimonies I heard since I am very well aware of it already. But then, I felt this gentle yet moving tugging at my heart and I was overwhelmed by it.

It was my first time to attend a service in years. A colleague of mine (who has been patient and kind enough) invited me to their church and since I have been seeking for spiritual growth for a very long time, I decided to go. My heart was all for it - I really wanted to be reunited with my faith.

When people ask me what my religion is, I can't give a straight answer. I usually say that my family is Catholic and that my mom is a devoted servant of the Catholic church. And I, myself, used to be an active member of the Catholic Church until I was disheartened *big time* by the magnitude and gravity of hypocrisy I've witnessed. I didn't want to have anything to do with that particular church anymore. I stopped attending church. Don't get me wrong, that didn't mean I've turned my back from God. Ironically, this has strengthened my faith in Him even more and deepened my personal relationship with Him. I thought as long as I have given Him my heart and accepted Christ as my savior, I'll be fine. I love talking to God and I found I could talk to Him whenever, wherever I want to... in whatever situation I am in. It's like I've made prayer a habit that is too hard to break and I've no intention of doing so.

I learned today the three 'songs' that a person can choose from in taking his / her direction in life. The Song of the Hypocrite, the Song of the Happy and the Song of the Heavenward. As the speaker was rambling the things that make a person less of a hypocrite, I wonder if I was one. He said there are two kinds of hypocrites - the religious and the self-righteous. I thought I fell under the latter. Those were the people who don't go to church, who do good and moral things but don't have any "real" relationship with God. At the back of my mind, I was fully convinced that I do have a personal relationship with God and my faith is very much in-tact. Little did I know that there was this tiny little thing that is lacking - repentance. I believe I am a good person despite the fact that I don't go to church and I distant myself from anything that would make me look religious. I forgot that I am a sinner. Aren't we all are? And I haven't done anything about it. I acknowledge God but I refused to acknowledge my sins. So, it hit me hard; that probably, it's true... the relationship that I have with God is not as sturdy as I thought it was. I felt lost all of a sudden, but it didn't take long before I found my path. That path that led me straight to Him.