As a little girl that had been baptized as a baby into the Catholic religion, Church and God to me wasn’t more than the Catholic Mass that my mom took me to from time to time. I remember several things from those Sundays in Mass, like gazing at Jesus on the cross up in front, the pretty glass stained windows and the pictures framed underneath them that appeared to be telling a story. I remember kneeling on the cushy little footrest in the pew and being told “no” I could not get in line for communion because I had not been confirmed yet. Although I had no real understanding of what was going on during Mass, the idea of “Jesus and Praying” were not foreign to me because of the Catholicism practiced by most of my family.

I grew up an only child, raised by a single Catholic mom who became a Christian when I was going into the 5th grade. This changed both of our lives forever. Of course, her new faith would bring her to a new kind of Church, which it did for me too. From that time on I learned about Jesus and what it meant to be a Christian and I accepted Jesus into my heart as my Savior at that young age. As I grew older, Church was always a big part of our lives. I was involved in youth ministries that included choir, plays, and church camps. I was also confirmed and baptized again by my choice in Jr. High.

Once High School started though, a tug-war began that lasted until my late 20’s when my husband Jeff and I started dating and when Barabbas Road came into our lives. My real struggle all of those years was me trying to maintain both types of lives – the worldly and the Christian. For most of my 20’s my relationship with Christ was secondary and I justified that by going to Church, being a good person, reading Christian books, and remembering to pray. My priorities were based in the world like that of the “Casual Christian”. The Lord did not have all of me like he wanted.

Today the tug-war is over and my desires have changed and I want the Lord to have all of me. The idea of “living in the world, but not being of it” has never made more sense to me like it does today. As my walk continues to grow, I thank the Lord for his grace and forgiveness of my sinful ways and for never leaving me just like he has promised. I’m grateful for Barabbas Road for reminding me of who I am in Christ and what I am called to do as a Christian that puts Christ first in her life. It’s a great truth that this life isn’t about me or my works, but about him and his glory. Thank you Jesus. My name is Angelina and I am Barabbas.