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een doing the night before, I was in
church on Sunday morning. That was the
rule at our house. I was going to church,
but I rejected Christ and kept living the
life I wanted. I wasn’t interested in “getting
back to the Lord.”
By the time my senior year rolled
around, my two best friends had turned
into a group of ten girls. We were
all different ages and from different
backgrounds. I thought my senior year
would be a time to “live it up” and enjoy
one more year with my girlfriends. I
couldn’t have been more wrong.
Two of the girls in the group had a
disagreement and decided their friendship
“On the drive to South
Carolina, I decided I
was sick of the life I’d
been living. I wanted to
be a different person.
That was the cue the
Lord was waiting on.”
was over. I didn’t want to choose sides, so I
kept hanging out with both of them. One
night, I went out with one of the girls and
several of our guy friends. That’s when the
bullying started.
I started getting anonymous phone
calls and awful messages on my phone. The
calls kept coming for six hours straight.
Then someone trashed the outside of our
house. A few days later, someone told me
there was a terrible rumor about me that
was circulating on Facebook. It wasn’t long
before I put it all together: my “friend”
thought I was choosing sides in her
dramatic disagreement, and she’d decided
our friendship was over too.
My former friendship turned to disaster.
The girl I trusted was now spreading the
most horrible, degrading lies imaginable.
I kept wondering how someone I was so
close to just months before could say such
things about me. To make matters worse,
the people I thought I could count on
chimed in, spreading the lies and rumors
right along with her!
I was miserable, but I decided I wasn’t
going to let this ruin my senior year. Once
again, I started school with no friends,
but this time no one wanted to befriend
the girl from the South. I walked the halls
alone, fully aware that people were staring
and pointing at me and talking about
me behind my back. The bullying got so
bad that two months later, I quit school
and started online classes from home. I
was miserable; I hated my life. I became
depressed and suicidal. It seemed there was
no way out.
I finished high school online, and I
received my diploma in December. It was
then that my family decided it was time
to move back to the South. On the drive
to South Carolina, I decided I was sick of
the life I’d been living. I wanted to be a
different person. That was the cue the Lord
was waiting on.
Soon after arriving in South Carolina,
we started attending church, and I gave
my life back to the Lord. He completely
changed me! I was happy again. The pain
I’d endured my senior year was gone,
and I was completely delivered from my
former lifestyle of partying, depression,
and suicidal thoughts. In time, I married a
wonderful man and gained three beautiful,
happy children.
Looking back, I see how the Lord used
a terrible, hurtful experience to draw me
back to Him. My senior year definitely
wasn’t the year I wanted, but it was exactly
what I needed. Instead of one year of
“living it up,” I got a beautiful, godly family
and a lifetime of joy and peace. Every day,
I’m thankful for the Lord’s blessings!
Cyberbullying is a serious issue among
today’s youth, and it can quickly lead to
depression and suicide. If you or someone you
know is a victim of cyberbullying, please seek
help.
Kaylee Watford and her family are part
of an IPHC church plant in Sumter, S.C.
Have you had the Experience? Send your testimony to Mégan Alba
at malba@iphc.org.
How to
Experience God
Here are five simple steps you can
take to begin a relationship with God:
1. Recognize your need. The Bible
tells us that “all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23,
NASB). All of us are sinners, and we
must admit our need for a Savior.
2. Repent of your sins. Because
God is completely holy, our sins create
a wall that separates us from Him.
By confessing your sins you will find
forgiveness. “Repent” means to make
a 180-degree turnaround. The Bible
promises: “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
3. Believe in Jesus. God worked a
miracle when He sent His only Son
to die for us. We don’t have to pay for
our sins … Jesus paid it all! We can’t
work for our salvation. It is a gift from
God, and all He requires is that we
believe. Put your faith in Him. The Bible
says: “For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish, but have eternal life” (John
3:16).
4. Receive His salvation. God has
given us this free gift, but we must
accept it. Thank Him for sending Jesus
to die on the cross for you. Thank
Him for His amazing love, mercy and
forgiveness. Then ask Him to live in
your heart. His promise to us is sure:
“But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the right to become children of
God...” (John 1:12).
5. Confess your faith. The Bible
assures us: “If you confess with your
mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in
your heart that God raised Him from
the dead, you will be saved” (Rom.
10:9). You have been born again and are
now part of God’s family. Tell someone
else what Jesus has done in your life!
This amazing experience can be yours.
Embrace God’s love and receive the
salvation that only Jesus Christ gives.
iphc.org/experience | August 2012 7