Is this real or a dream? I can’t believe this is happening to me. Just when everyone said it was impossible, a possibility was found. An event so great took place in my life, that even those who were the closest to me had a hard time believing it. That was the day I truly met my best friend. I used to hear that it was a "cool" thing to be a friend of His, so I used to say that I knew Him, but I never really met Him until that day. Some of my friends used to say that they knew Him very well. They would all get together once a week to His house. They would treat Him very well by giving Him money and saying nice things to Him. However, when they would hang out during the rest of the week, they would ignore Him and pretend that He wasn’t even there. They would say and do things that really hurt Him. Then, as usual, they’d each call Him every night and saying that they were sorry, but their actions never seemed to change. Before long, I joined in with my friends, and I started treating Him the same way they did.

    During this time of my life I was going through some rough things. I had just started my freshman year of High School and it wasn’t going well. Even though I was my freshman class-president, I didn’t act like it. I hung out with the "cool" crowd at school, and so I was always getting into trouble. My grades were very low and my disciplinary record was filled with bad marks. I got suspended a lot my freshman year. I got into two fights, both of them ending up with my victims injured. The day before the last day of school, I blew it big time. When my English teacher left the class, I got up and started ripping the posters off the walls and destroying them. The next day the school found out that I was responsible for this and they expelled me. They said that I wouldn’t be able to return to Troy High School the next year.

    The summer of 1990 was truly an unforgettable experience. I spent most of it contemplating suicide, and I eventually attempted it. I tasted the bitterness of life and I realized that my goal was to find total and complete fulfillment. However, I found out that my attempts were vain. Nothing I tried sufficed. I spent most of that summer in misery. I had almost everything that was supposed to bring me happiness, but nothing did. I was empty, empty, and empty.

    My pursuit of fulfillment continued. I tried to gain it through getting people to like me. I bought the stylish clothes, and got the latest hairdo. I even used the popular jargon. The slang words: cool, dude, radical, cowabunga, and totally awesome, were now a part of my every day language. I also stated to develop the "cool" walk. I would puff my chest out, and strut casually; I’d never run or look like I’m in a hurry; "cool" guys have got it all under control. Well, when the "Fonzy" act got old, I became "Gangster Man." I was in my sophomore year at Fullerton High School. The gangster act lasted too long. Fullerton High ended up expelling me, just like Troy did!

    By now I was at the end of my rope, and just before I was to completely lose my grip. He rescued me! Yes, it was He, the one that I called "friend." He extended His pierced hand to me and said that He was the fulfillment that I was looking for. At that moment it all hit me. Shame fell upon me and I realized how badly I had treated Him. I looked into his eyes and I saw gentleness in Him that melted my heart; I had to look away. How could I have called Him friend, when I treated Him like an enemy? I lifted my head up again and looked into His face. His gracious smile was an invitation to forgiveness. I fell flat on my face before Him and I confessed my hypocrisy. I said, "forgive me, I’m not worthy of you."

    He pulled me to His bosom and said, "I can now be your friend; I will be the friend that sticks closer than a brother, I’ll never leave you." My Friend’s name is Jesus Christ and on August 15, 1991 he saved me. Ever since then we have been celebrating the anniversary of our wonderful Friendship. I am positive that we will celebrate many more times, because, "Friends are friends forever." Thank you Jesus!!!

HOME  NEXT