Meet Riley Rowe
Meet Riley Rowe
About the age of 26, I felt as if I was struggling to live a normal live. I had just been released from serving only eight disappointing months in the US Navy. Also, my Grandmother, whom others and I considered to be a Christian, had just passed away. I remembered hearing during her eulogy how faithful she was to her community and church. This made me feel guilty for the way I was living my life, but I didn’t change. I started to use drugs, alcohol and sex to try and bring fulfillment in my life. However, my life just became more confused and convoluted. I tried changing career fields too, but I still felt as if I lacked purpose and direction in my life.
After several months I was invited by a friend to a play that was being shown at a local church. The play was about how people lived their daily lives; some as Christians, some not and some who merely thought they were Believers. As the play continued, there was a horrible storm and many people lost their lives as a result. As they stood before Jesus in what is called “The Judgment,” they were granted or denied access to heaven based on one thing: if they had realized the depth of their sin, trusted in Jesus’ payment for that sin and believed him to be the Son of God by turning from their sin. I knew at that moment in time, if I were to die, I would not go to heaven because I had never done these things. Strangely enough to me, I wasn’t the only person in the building that felt this way either. It was at that moment that I was given the opportunity and I decided to ask Jesus to take over my life and trust in Him.
After that, I began to pray, read my Bible and attend a church regularly. With Jesus now at the center of my life, His Spirit began working in me to remove those bad things in my life that I had done before. That was 25 years ago, and still to this day the Lord is working to remove sin patterns, some old from the past and some new to me now. But slowly I began to feel as if my life was working towards God’s purpose and I was making my Grandmother proud. That meant a lot to me, but knowing that God is working in me to fulfill His plan means more to me now.
After several months I was invited by a friend to a play that was being shown at a local church. The play was about how people lived their daily lives; some as Christians, some not and some who merely thought they were Believers. As the play continued, there was a horrible storm and many people lost their lives as a result. As they stood before Jesus in what is called “The Judgment,” they were granted or denied access to heaven based on one thing: if they had realized the depth of their sin, trusted in Jesus’ payment for that sin and believed him to be the Son of God by turning from their sin. I knew at that moment in time, if I were to die, I would not go to heaven because I had never done these things. Strangely enough to me, I wasn’t the only person in the building that felt this way either. It was at that moment that I was given the opportunity and I decided to ask Jesus to take over my life and trust in Him.
After that, I began to pray, read my Bible and attend a church regularly. With Jesus now at the center of my life, His Spirit began working in me to remove those bad things in my life that I had done before. That was 25 years ago, and still to this day the Lord is working to remove sin patterns, some old from the past and some new to me now. But slowly I began to feel as if my life was working towards God’s purpose and I was making my Grandmother proud. That meant a lot to me, but knowing that God is working in me to fulfill His plan means more to me now.
Posted in Faces of Faith