my friend matthew

This was an assignment that had to be completed for the mission trip to Mexico. I wrote it and turned it in yesterday. It's one of those things that they ask if you want to share it. I wasn't so sure but when they asked I realized that, yeah, I do want to share it:

Joshua’s Testimony
I’ve grown up in a family with many blessings. I’ve been able to travel all over and see so much. I’ve experienced a lot already given that I’m only 18. But what has been more amazing than all my travels and opportunities is my ongoing experience with God and how he is working in my life. I knew I was a Christian a long time ago. I knew Jesus was my savior in third grade. But I didn’t know what exactly he was going to save me from. The world is what he’s saved me from. He’s saved me from this evil world with sin all around and negative influence running wild.
We all want to have a good time and have fun. My idea of fun was drinking with my high school buddies and running around town in the middle of the night. We would talk about girls or whatever was interesting at the moment, and although I knew I wasn’t going to have sex before I was married, the thoughts I would dwell on were the wrong ones; Thoughts of earthly desires and temporary insignificant things. My mind wasn’t in the right place.
I didn’t realize things had changed until the change was complete. I didn’t want to drink anymore. I didn’t want to cuss and talk like I did with my pals. I didn’t want to be focusing on the things that were taking up most of my time. I wanted a real relationship with someone. A relationship that won’t depend on how cool you are or how cool you think your friend is. I started to focus on real things and I think I already knew Jesus but this was the time that I let him take hold of the reigns and go nuts.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
--Psalm 40:2-3

God has taken me so far from where I was that there is no way I’d ever want to go back. If I heard this testimony from someone else back then, I’d brush it off like it didn’t matter. I would have ignored it and said, God doesn’t care that I drink and cuss, He only cares about what’s in your heart. Which is true, but how are you going to show people what’s in your heart if your actions are an exact negative of your true spiritual feelings.