My name is Abby Rosenboom and I came to know Christ at a very young age. I grew up going to church with my family. I was surrounded by incredible, godly people who loved me and cared for me. I knew many stories in the Bible, and had several verses memorized, but there was so much more I was missing.I started high school in 2008, and it didn’t take long before sports and school completely consumed my life. One of the biggest struggles during that time was living up to the expectations of those around me. I come from a family full of success in academics, athletics, career, and so much more. I felt an immense amount of pressure to be the best. Although this pressure led to achievements I take pride in, I found myself miserable by the cycle it took to get me there.
The summer after graduating from high school, I was invited to go on a Project Serve mission trip to Nicaragua with Youth for Christ. During small groups one night, I remember saying that I didn’t need God. I had worked so hard on my own for my success that I didn’t feel He was important or necessary in my life. It wasn’t until months after that I began to think about what happens to all I’ve worked for when I die. Who was going to care about my accomplishments in my teenage years? I would just be another face in the high school yearbook. As morbid as those thoughts were, they ultimately led me to the realization that I was living my life for meaningless things.
In 2013, I started volunteering at Campus Life and my church. Here I have the privilege of working with amazing students who enrich my life and fill me with so much joy. I am also blessed beyond measure by the outstanding youth ministry leaders who encourage me and invest in my life like no one has before. I’ve learned so much about God and His heart for me, and for all people, and it sparked my desire to show that love to others. The more I allow God to use me, the more my faith grows.
If there is one truth I have learned through this all, it is this – believing in God doesn’t change your life, surrendering to Him does.