Teen Turnaround: From Hopelessness to Salvation

"Teenage Turn-Around"
A true story by Brittany Clark


Today I consider myself to be pretty normal, but I wasn't always that way. Just a few months ago, I was every parent's nightmare. A famous Christian speaker from India changed all of that in what I call a miracle.
When I was younger, I was a good kid. As I got older, however, things rapidly spiraled downhill. Suddenly, my life seemed too boring, too monotonous, and too slow. I was sick of staying at home, sick of doing things I once loved, sick of being ME.
My parents said that I became "totally out of control." They were right. Hate, disobedience, lust, cussing, lying, stealing, running away, and disrespect ruled my life. Most of my time was spent in my room -- dancing to trashy music, screaming filthy lies, or reading books that would make even my hard-to-faze dad blush.
I drank alcohol that my parents left out, messed around with different medicines, used horrible language, and often flipped out over non-existent problems. Whenever I got angry I'd scream, break things, and try to hurt other people. A few times, my parents threatened to call the cops, which didn't work very well. I wanted them to call the cops, wanted to get out of my life and cause trouble in whatever way I could.
One day, I just got tired of it. Being a jerk and troublemaker wasn't working for me. I was up in my room, listening to KISS FM and reading one of "those" books. Suddenly, I threw the book across the room and yanked out the plug of my radio. Then I burst into tears. I hated everything.
I hated what I was doing to myself. I hated hurting my family, scaring my siblings until they cried, and making my parents angry and disappointed. I didn't like listening to songs and reading books about fake love, money, cheating, cheating, drugs, and murder. I hated cursing God and blaming Him for everything.
So I turned on KDOV. My parents would often listen to it in the car, and they always seemed to feel rested after it. Maybe it would work for me, too. Plugging my radio back in, I switched stations and lay down on my bed to listen. A male voice with a foreign accent was speaking. I grinned to myself; I liked foreign guys, so maybe this would be interesting.
I was right -- it was interesting, but for a different reason. The guy was talking about God's love and grace in a way that captured my attention and held it. He didn't use fancy words or a bunch of mumbo-jumbo Jesus talk. Instead, he stated things in an easy-to-understand manner. He used humor, personal experiences, and stories to illustrate his points. I was hooked.
The next day, I tuned in again. This time, I found out the speaker's name. It was Ravi Zacharias, a preacher from India who traveled and witnessed to people around the world. Listening intently and eagerly, I started crying as he described how God would give His perfect love to anyone who wanted it. Well, I wanted it. More than anything.
Since my parents were Christians, I had heard of Jesus before. They always talked about Him, and now I was ready to listen so I could have Him too. I wanted Jesus to come into my heart and stay there forever. So I prayed. I prayed like I had never prayed before, meaning every word I said.
Life changed that day. First I apologized to my parents and got rid of everything that kept me from focusing on God. I felt GREAT!!! My whole family was ecstatic, including me. I had a brand-new life, one where I could lean on God whenever I had trouble. He was there to help me. In fact, He had always been there, but I just hadn't listened to Him when He tried to help me.
A few weeks later, I wrote to Ravi, telling him what had happened to me. Was I ever surprised when I received a reply. I ripped open the envelope and stared in mingled shock and joy at the letter. It was handwritten! In the letter, Ravi encouraged me to keep going as a young Christian. He promised that he would pray for me, which meant so much to me and made me so happy.
Jesus has changed my life, for which I'm eternally grateful. I'm convinced that I'm now the happiest 17-year-old in the world. Temptations still try to trap me and trip me up; however, a daily dose of praying, Bible reading, Christian music, and talks with my parents and other Christians help me resist the devil. Already, God has filled me with a passion and desire to tell others about Him, and I believe this is His plan for my life. I hope that my testimony will help show other kids that even when everything is hopeless, you can still go on. Jesus used Ravi Zacharias and my parents' praying to turn me around. For this, I'm eternally grateful. Thank You, Jesus.