ec blog: Dispatches

Are you looking for more of what Christy Box had to say in her "Dispatches" on page 55 of the May issue? Well, here's Christy's thoughts in her own words in their entirety. Enjoy!

 A while ago, I had really come to depend on my best friend. We’d known each other for a long time and we spent a lot of time together. Somehow, I never noticed that somewhere along the line, she changed. My best friend turned out to be a jerk to me. For a while after I found out, I was heartbroken. Months went by and Christmas came around. For Christmas that year, my sister gave me a Bible. I had been raised Christian, but somehow I had gotten away from it. I didn’t take any notice of the Bible for a while.

A few days later, when normal life resumed, I picked up the Bible and began to read Genesis. Somewhere before the end of that chapter, I realized this was something real. It wasn’t like my old childhood Bible stories anymore. When Easter came around, I started on the New Testament. When I got to the crucifixion story, I was nearly crying. I thought, “Why would you do this for me?” I knew the answer to that. That was the moment when I first considered myself a Christian.

That summer, I went to a lock-in at my sister’s church. I noticed how everyone seemed to be so excited about God, when I didn’t feel so much that way. I ended up crying in a room in the back where I didn’t think anyone would find me. I told God, “I know you’re here, but it’s not like you can hug me and tell me everything is OK.” Not five minutes later, my sister found me. She hugged me and told me everything was OK. Looking back on that moment, I know that was God saying He was there for me.

Finally, a few weeks ago, a girl emailed me about spreading the word of God in our online classes. I knew I might get in trouble for this, but she convinced be this was worth it. So I did it. I did not get one ugly message back on that email. Those who messaged back were supportive. Not only that, but a few days later, I was friended on Facebook by a girl who loved what I was doing. I started talking to her, and we became fast friends. I felt like I already knew her. When I think about everything that’s happened, I know that God was trying to make my life so much better, even if it hurt at first.