All Along, the Lord was with Me

All my life, I never knew that the Lord was with me at every step of the way. I thank Him that I can see it now. Although I never once opened a Bible until my freshman year in college, and although UCLA was far from my ideal destination, I understand now that the Lord guided me here, and I wouldn't trade these last few years for anything in the world. Going into college, joining a Christian organization was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to fight for social justice and things of that nature, and I wanted to do it in a certain university on the East Coast; but thankfully the Lord had bigger plans for me.

Towards the end of my freshman year, I was called by the Lord through a very dear brother who spoke to me about a wonderful man named Jesus. He spoke to me of Jesus—not as a doctrine, but as the true and eternal life,  as the living river that God has offered to all those who thirst for Him. The moment I received the Lord was without a doubt the moment in which I was truly born. For before that, my soul had dominated my entire being, and my mind had only been preoccupied with things of this world. I thank the Lord that He opened my eyes and helped me see what I had failed to see before: that my purpose in life was not to travel the world trying to solve people's earthly problems, but rather to receive Him into my spirit and to express Him by spreading His Word. My life truly changed, thanks to the fellowship and shepherding of my fellow brothers and sisters at UCLA who spoke to me about the Lord. More importantly, through my involvement with Christian Students at UCLA, I have learned to not only know about the Lord, but to KNOW HIM and to enjoy Him.

As bitter as I was that I had to settle for UCLA back in my freshman year, I now understand that it was all done by the grace of God. He knew this is where I needed to be. He knew that on this campus I would meet those who would bring me into the church life. And more importantly, He knew that this was the place in which my spirit could grow the most. My enjoyment of the Lord—through fellowship with Him while reading His Word, through fellowship with the brothers during Bible studies, and the recovered practice of the church life that I have experienced at UCLA—has turned my bitterness into the greatest of joys. Best of all, it has revealed to me that, though I did not realize it until now, the Lord has been with me through every single step that I have taken in my life.


-Carlos Juarez