Gabi
For many years I tried to find happiness, contentment, joy and peace with yoga, esotericism, positive thoughts and much more. But nothing took away my sadness and senselessness. My marriage broke down when I was 25, and by the time I was 30 I had reached the lowest point of my life. I was anorexic and weighed only 40 kilos. An eight-week stay in a psychosomatic clinic didn't bring any improvement. There, too, I was confronted with esoteric practices. When I was discharged, I weighed only 37kg.
The turning point for me came in 1999, when I attended a series of Christian lectures on the basis of a leaflet I had found in my therapist's waiting room. By the end of the first evening, I was in tears and realised that I would not get well without God. A member of the Baptist church prayed with me and I gave my life to Jesus. From then on, I wanted to live with Jesus every day and hand over all my problems to him. He would take care of my messed-up life and change me. My most fervent wish was to become a happy person.
I had realised that Jesus is the best therapist and a true friend. For a year, I went to the Baptist church with my two children. But over time I realised that it wasn't our place. I started going to various other churches. But my inner voice always told me: This is not your place. Eventually I gave up the search and decided to live my faith without a church. After a while, however, I realised that I was falling back more and more into my old dissatisfied life and that I was missing the fellowship and exchange with other Christians.
And so I tried once again to find the right church for me. This time I prayed about it. A little later, I „accidentally“ read an advert in a newspaper that I normally never read. It said: „Who would like to study the Bible with me?“ I got in touch and from then on received Bible lessons from a lovely woman. Her name was Lilli and she told me that she belonged to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She also said that I could come to the church service at any time. But I didn't want to at first. However, I realised that my life was slowly changing. I now also read the Bible regularly at home, talked to God every day as if I were talking to a friend and realised how he helped me with my problems. I also had many experiences with God. Finally, I went to the Adventist Church on a Saturday. I quickly realised that I had finally found my place. From then on, I went to church every Sabbath.
About a year and a half after starting the Bible studies - it was in May - my husband, whom I had found in the meantime with God's help, and I moved into our own house. In July, I stopped smoking after 22 years. In October we got married and I became free from anorexia and bulimia‚ and in December I was baptised. All in one year. It was clear to me that I only had God to thank for all of this. Only He could change me like that. Today, my relationship with God is the most important thing in my life.
