Steve's story
Doing what you’re supposed to
As a child, Steve was encouraged by his parents to go to ‘Sunday School’. He later decided to join a choir. “I was about 11 at the time, and wanted to be a choirboy in the Church of England,” he remembers. “I just did what I thought you had to do. I respected God and wanted to do what was right. But I wouldn’t say I had a relationship with God in any way.”
As Steve grew older, he began to worry about death, and going to church didn’t seem to help him overcome this. “I guess the critical point came when I was in my later teens, and my parents were having problems in their marriage. They sought help from a group of Christians who used to meet in someone’s home rather than in a church building. Seeing the positive effect this had on Mum and Dad, I became more curious about this Christian group, and I decided to go along.”
A life-changing decision
That visit had a powerful impact on Steve. “Within minutes of walking in, I could see that these people had something I didn’t. They had a deep level of happiness. They read the Bible as though it was real! I had to face the question: did I want that kind of relationship with God? The answer was Yes!”
Steve began to meet more regularly with this group of Christians, and before long he knew he had to act on his desire. “At one meeting, a visiting speaker asked people to raise their hand if they wanted to know Jesus for themselves. I desperately wanted to. And so I responded. I told Jesus that I wanted to know him and to follow him.”
A purpose-filled life
Over the next few weeks, Steve discovered that his life was changing dramatically. “I felt secure in a new way. Not only did I get to know Jesus, but my life seemed suddenly purposeful.”
Many years have passed since that significant turning-point. Steve found that his relationship with God didn’t mean a struggle-free life, and at university he had to make hard choices about the direction his life was heading in. But the sense of excitement about being able to relate to Jesus hasn’t left him. “Life isn’t about trying to impress God,” he emphasises. “It’s more like coming home. I know God and I know I’ll be with him forever. That’s what really matters to me.”