A Journey of Faith, Failure, and Grace

My name is Joseph. I am 17 years old and come from a family of five. My parents are Mr. and Mrs. Akinbulejo. The story of my life, at least the part I clearly remember, began when I was nine years old. I made many mistakes growing up. The hardest part was that I kept most of them to myself. I felt alone, like no one truly knew what I was going through. But through it all, God and my mother never gave up on me. Here is how everything began. One Sunday morning, I woke up and went straight to the bathroom. I had my bath and brushed my teeth. Suddenly, I remembered that we usually had morning devotion as a family. Just then, another thought entered my mind: "Can’t you skip devotion today? It’s Sunday. You’ll still have service at church." I agreed with that thought and said to myself, “That’s true… and I won’t be late for the workers’ meeting in church.” So I ignored devotion and continued getting ready. Later that day, during Sunday school, the lesson was deeply touching. The topic was about people who call themselves believers but do not truly do God’s will. As the teacher explained, something stirred inside me. I felt like the message was directed straight at me. But instead of facing that conviction, I pushed the thought away. I still don’t know why. After Sunday school, we entered the main church auditorium for the service. Everything went as usual, praise and worship, opening prayer, and other parts of the service. Then it was time for the sermon. I never expected the message to be so powerful. Every word seemed to touch my heart. When the pastor finished preaching, he said: “If you are here and you know you want to give your life to Christ, kindly come forward.” He repeated the call several times. My heart was beating fast. At that moment, I made up my mind, I wanted to give my life to Christ. That day, I became born again. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and personal Savior. I felt different, lighter, peaceful, like I had been given a brand new life. When I got home, my lifestyle began to change. Some things I used to do no longer felt right. Even the things I once thought I could never stop doing became easier to let go of. It wasn’t always easy, but something inside me had changed. The next day at school, my classmates noticed the difference. My behavior had changed, and even my close friends asked what happened to me. At first, I didn’t want to explain. But then I remembered what I had been taught in church that believers are called to share the gospel. So I told them about my decision to follow Christ. I encouraged them to also give their lives to Jesus and make Him their Lord and Savior. Some of them laughed and started calling me “Pastor.” Others listened carefully, though they said they weren’t ready to make that decision yet. Months passed, and examination period arrived. For many students, exams felt like a time of war, while others were confident and prepared. As I sat in the exam hall one morning, question paper in front of me, I didn’t just think about passing my exams, I thought about the new life I had started. I knew this journey with God was still very new, and I was still learning how to stand firm, especially around friends, pressure, and the challenges of school life. I didn’t know then that the real test of my faith was only just beginning… And that was only the start of my story.