I didn’t grow up religious, and after school, I drifted into a lifestyle of drugs. It all caught up with me in my late twenties, leading to a short stint in jail on remand. Thankfully, I was released with a probation sentence and had to stay clean.
Around that time, I came into possession of a Gideon-placed New Testament.
Not long after, a friend and I went fruit picking. We camped overnight by a creek. That night, I had a troubling dream that left me uneasy. The next morning, I went looking for a place to hide the marijuana seeds I had brought with me. But when my mate offered me a ‘joint’, I quickly forgot about doing this.
Later that day, two officers pulled us over and asked to search our bags. I was on probation and panicked. When I opened my pack, the New Testament was sitting right on top. The officer looked at it and said, “I don’t think we need to search any further.” After they left, I found the seeds just underneath the New Testament. I knew God had intervened.
I began reading that New Testament. One night, overwhelmed by conviction, I knelt and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. That was the beginning of my salvation. I believe the Holy Spirit had His hand on my life then and continues to do so now. I am still on my journey. I realise more and more that I can’t be a Christian on my own.
“I began reading that New Testament. One night, overwhelmed by conviction, I knelt and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. That was the beginning of my salvation.”