Church was my life. I was raised in church. My dad had a church. My great uncles had a church. There was always church after church. Church was my life.
I did not build a relationship with God until my early twenties. Majority of my teenage years I did not want much to do with God anymore. My parents got a divorce during my teenage years. I started to see both of them differently and this changed my view of God. I did not want to go to church anymore but my mother kept us in church anyway.
When I went off to college I was free to do what I wanted to. That included not going to church. Like many college students I felt freedom for the first time. I started drinking alcohol, smoking weed, I was sexually active, and partied like crazy. College was fun and so was my lifestyle. I had amazing friends and was living my life to the fullest.
My friends and I were put on academic suspension for our grades. We stopped going to class and we were enjoying college life. This caused us to get kicked out for bad grades. I was so determined to get back to school and pay for college myself. Then my life took a dark turn.
I always had a part time job working at a small photography studio in a mall. That money was not enough to pay for school. So I took on a job that could pay for school plus more. I became an exotic dancer.
This was one of the darkest moments in my life. I was in a world that I was not supposed to be in. Yes, this church girl was showing off what God created for money. I was so determined to pay for school that it cost me.
God was still in the midst of my life while I was living that lifestyle. I thank God for a praying mother and grandmother. God soon called me out of my dark lifestyle. I got saved and never went back.
I have been on my journey with God and I have not looked back. My walk has not been perfect but I choose to keep going no matter what. I told God that I will never give up on Him. No matter how many times I walk away, I will not give up.
I soon realized why my family stayed in church and kept us in church. What was planted in me soon came to pass. All that churchin’ saved my life. I found a Christian college to go to and finished my college career.
This church girl was derailed but God put me back on track. I am forever grateful.
Church Girl…
~Lisa Sophia~
Lisa Sophia 