Transformation: Renewed

For years, church was a familiar place, but it never quite felt like home.

As a teenager, she attended different churches but never stayed in one place long enough to feel truly rooted. By the time she reached college, that lack of belonging had become something deeper. She was searching for a place to fit, for people who understood her, and for something that felt real.

That search eventually led her into LGBTQ and occult communities. At the same time, she couldn't completely walk away from Jesus.

“I had this block with Jesus, although there was still this nagging feeling that I shouldn't completely give up on Him.”

One of the things she struggled to understand was the joy she saw in other Christians. She watched people worship and heard them talk about experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, but it wasn't something she had experienced for herself.

“I never felt that. I can confidently say I had never really felt the Holy Spirit.”

In 2022, she began attending Two Rivers. For the next few years, her attendance was on and off. She loved the church, but she was still wrestling with questions about her identity, sexuality, and spiritual practices. She was searching, but something still hadn't clicked.

Then someone shared their own testimony with her.

Hearing another person's story of what Jesus had done began to open her heart to the possibility that He could meet her personally, too.

So she began to pray.

“Please reveal Yourself to me. I have always wanted to feel You, but I've never really been able to feel anything during worship or at church.”

And then, something changed.

“I can remember this powerful presence just washed over me. I immediately knew who it was. I knew that this wasn't just some random feeling I was having. This was the Lord.”

The Jesus she had never been able to completely walk away from was drawing her back to Himself.

Since then, her life has become a pursuit of knowing Him more. She spends time studying Scripture, learning who Jesus is, and recognizing His presence in new ways throughout her life. What began as a desperate prayer to know if He was really there has become an ongoing process of renewal.

One passage in particular has given words to what she has experienced:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2

For her, transformation hasn't simply meant changing a few things about her life. It has meant allowing Jesus to renew the way she thinks, understands herself, and sees Him.

And that renewal is still happening.

“I feel like God's process of renewal is amazing because He can help anyone, no matter how far you are or how far you feel like you've drifted from Jesus. It's been amazing just how far He's brought me back to Him.”

Her story is a reminder that no amount of wandering puts someone beyond the reach of Jesus. Even in seasons of doubt, searching, and uncertainty, He continues to pursue.

Sometimes transformation begins with a simple prayer:

Jesus, reveal Yourself to me.

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