Starting Point (3) Testimony — Angela Kang
Hi everyone!
My name is Angela and today I will be sharing my Starting Point bible study testimony. For 8 weeks, I took Starting Point, a bible study where we learn more about Jesus and where we can freely ask questions about faith in a conversational environment.
Looking back, before I started Starting Point, I was very unstable and under extreme stress, trying to balance grade 12 and university applications all during the pandemic. During this time, Sarah, my youth Sheppard, asked me if I wanted to take Starting Point. Due to all the school work and deadlines, even when there were Starting Point announcements, I never really considered or thought of doing a bible study during this busy time in my life. But after some reflection, I realized I wasn’t as connected with God as I was before the pandemic.
Furthermore, although I knew for sure in my heart that God was real, I didn’t know who he exactly was. Therefore, in hopes of reconnecting with God and being able to re-experience the starting point in my faith, I decided to take Starting Point without really knowing what to expect. Each week, we got to learn more about God’s gifts of love, grace, and forgiveness and by sharing each of our experiences of how God worked through our lives, I was able to realize once again how powerful and loving God is. I slowly began to feel his love and although it took some time at first, I felt understood and realized that God was with me even during all of the small details of my life. I realized that even if I was unworthy, God still loves me and showers me with love every day, even if I don’t notice it.
The main thing that I felt God was telling me through Starting Point was: Angela, why are you stressing out, trying to do everything on your own? Take a rest and let me take control. It was hard to understand and truly believe that at first. It took me 8 weeks to finally open up to God and let him take control of my life because God’s promises and gifts were too good to be true and it seemed out of reach during this time of great stress and pressure. With the help of this bible study, I was able to slowly build a more trusting relationship with God.
Before I was overwhelmed because it felt like even if I did so much work, I still had a pile of work left to do. Now, although university applications, grade 12 deadlines, and covid is still present in my life, I no longer feel overly stressed about the things going on because I know that even if I seem to go off track, God always guides me back to his very own unique plan for me. I realized that God’s gift of peace was ready and it was only waiting for me to accept it.
Starting Point was an opportunity for me to feel my starting point again and to re-connect with God, helping me find peace in him. I was able to feel and experience his endless love again. Lastly, I would like to thank Pastor Caleb for leading our discussions and my youth sheppard Sarah for encouraging me to take this bible study!
Thank you
