From the time I was born up to even now I have been rejected by my entire family. I was born to a mother that was very abusive and my father left when I was just a year old never to be seen again.

I was not allowed to go to school most days because my mother was so-called depressed and wouldn't get out of bed for months at a time and I was forced to raise the other kids that my mother kept having. When she was awake she was in a bad mood and would take it out on me. I can remember times that she would take firewood from the backyard and beat me with it. And when she would corner me in the house and close-fisted punch me. But what was worse than that was all of the emotional abuse. I was always being put down by my mother and grew up feeling worthless.

I didn't graduate high school because I wasn't ever there enough to make good grades. I was sexually abused by a relative so I was full of shame, and I felt very lonely because of the rejection that I experienced not only from my father but my mother also. I left home when I was 15 and wound up hanging around with the wrong people. I started smoking crack and became an exotic dancer to support my habit, which left me feeling even worse so I got to where I had to be drunk every day just to cope with life.

I turned to drugs,alcohol and men and I just kept sinking in despair, not realizing that none of that was going to fill my void inside. Until one day when I was partying with some friends and a group of kids were out witnessing. And as I was listening I was seeing such love radiating from these kids and that was exactly what I had been searching for my whole life, not realizing that it was there the whole time in Jesus Christ.

So I gave my heart to the Lord, was filled with the Holy Spirit and His love continues to surround me every day. And isn't it great to know that no matter what we do or how we haved lived God is so gracious and loves us enough to forgive us. It is never too late. You can never fall too far away for the Father to hear your cries. He loves you so much and unlike our earthly fathers, his love is so unconditional. So come to the Lord today and never feel lonely again. He is waiting for you. Be encouraged. God bless you.