An Essay on the Importance of Faith in my Life

Teddy Haffey
CHS Application Essay

An Essay on the Importance of Faith in my Life
My entire life I have been raised in a Christian household; even before I left the womb I attended church. I have always had an understanding of God, who Jesus was and is, and how to place my faith in Him. Faith, in the sense of Christianity, has never not been in my life. And at a very young age, through faith in Christ’s power, I found salvation from my sins and was granted eternal life. And not only that, I have found my life’s purpose, my partner in it, and all the joy, peace, hope, and love I could ask for in this life through placing my faith in Jesus.

On July 25, 2015 at the age of seven years old, I prayed to God asking for salvation from my sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. I truly repented and admitted my need for His gift through His mercy and asked Him to come into my heart and forgive me. I was baptized a month later and became an official member of a church at Faith Baptist in Starkville, MS. However, to truly be a follower of Christ you must make Him the loving, but steadfastly in control, Lord of your life. I did not do this in my still developing child’s mind and heart and I didn’t truly grasp the concept of self-sacrifice through love and devotion. Though I received salvation through faith seven years prior, I did not become a devoted Christ follower until the age of thirteen. I had wandered from God’s direction and had become engulfed in habitual sin, but that all changed at the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI). It was held at Blue Mountain Christian University, then Blue Mountain College, on July 13, 2021. Through the grace of His calling and the conviction I received, I came back to Him and fully devoted my heart and mind to Christ. And with that commitment, I began to truly follow God and begin to see His will for my life’s work.

As my faith grew, God fostered and grew the gifts He had given me through learning about Him, praising Him through song and instrument, and even teaching others about Him myself. It was March 7, 2023 when the Itawamba Baptist Association hosted a youth revival where I received and accepted God’s calling on my life to go into the ministry. I do not know exactly what field of ministry God is calling me to. And as it was so graciously put to me during the counseling at the event, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.” What I do know is that God has put a burden in my heart to serve others, encourage the brethren, and to teach those that don’t know the Way so as to urge them to come unto salvation. God has gifted me in the ways of teaching and exhorting, and also musically. He has also placed the desire for me to pursue a career in the musical entertainment field as a songwriter, recording artist, and sound engineer, alongside serving Him through possibly music ministry or youth ministry. God has been so good in His guiding me through my faith in Him.

In addition to salvation and purpose, my faith and the following of God’s directions have led me to the woman God designed and designated as my partner and helper in this life. God has likewise designed me to compliment, serve, and love her as Christ loves us. She completes the designed family God has in leaving my parents to start my own, which is an especially important step in the life of a Christian. She has been such an encouragement, accountability partner, and overall blessing from God in my life. And even though we didn’t meet under explicitly Christian events or circumstances, it is fully evident God was working and is continuing to to bring us together to spend our lives loving and serving Him in marriage. And Lord-willing, when He calls us to have a family of our own we will grow and nurture them so as to praise God and find salvation in Him.

My faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His power has been not only instrumental, but foundational for my entire life. Through faith in God, I have found peace in salvation from death, love in multiple facets, and joy in my calling of life. Faith has driven me to better myself to serve God and others as I’m called to. It has given me the strength to push through the hard times because I know I am backed by the Creator of the universe. It has shaped me into who I am today. And in my life following Jesus in faith has been more than just important, it’s what made my life possible.