By Julio Andrei Sy
Published | April 30, 2024
At such a young age, Jeju confessed to having faced various problems everyday. They were everywhere he went, even in his home. Everyday after school, he would always argue with his family and would feel so guilty about it.
When he was in Grade 3, he wanted to stop studying because he thought it was so boring. He only wanted to spend time with his friends, not knowing that he grew to be a bad influence to them as time went on.
As his sister left for Manila to study when he was in Grade 7, his relationship with his family got worse from there. This time, he would fight with his father everyday, and he constantly went through periods of depression to the point of wanting to commit suicide.
At some point, when he was around Grade 9, he engaged in Buddhism. To his surprise, this never fulfilled him. His problems still overwhelmed him, and there were instances where he would go to church yet still feel empty inside.
What Jeju knew of Jesus was to believe in Him, and he still did whatever he wanted. He resorted to other things, but they failed to satisfy what he really needed internally.
All this time, due to the presence of these crises in his life, he would really question why God would allow these problems to wreak havoc in his life. It is because of this he would mock Him. Shockingly, it was around this time he realized that he was an “atheist.” The problems in his family and other deeper problems were factors that made him stay in his unbelief and convinced him that “God does not exist.”
Not until one day, when he was playing basketball in a court in their village and a random person told him that he needed to talk to him about God. But he brushed him off . The man, however, persisted and told him that it was important. Jeju then stopped playing and prepared to listen to him.
This man shared to him Romans 6:23 ,“For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jeju got mesmerized upon knowing that “the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.” The man also shared that one can never call themself a Christian if they do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Jeju grew curious now of who Jesus really is and about whether or not this would really change him for the better. After that conversation, he stalked him on social media to know who he was. Surprisingly, he was a random normal person working at a call center who had no mutual friends with Jeju.
The man reassured Jeju that he could reach out anytime he needed help. Two days later, overwhelmed with despair and grappling with suicidal thoughts, Jeju received an unexpected message on Messenger. It was an invitation to a camping trip. Unbeknownst to Jeju, this trip turned out to be a Christian camp, a revelation that caught him off guard.
Initially, Jeju felt reluctant about the situation. At the site, he kept looking down on other people except for the person who invited him. However, during the sermon, he was taken aback when former teacher turned minister, Pastor Glenn Novicio, revealed that he was delighted Jeju had come. Pastor Novicio shared that he felt prompted to reach out to Jeju because he recognized his deep sense of being lost and that God intended to use him to guide others.
From that point on, Jeju believed that his outlook changed. His journey from “atheism” to faith was profoundly impacted by a divine revelation, leading him on a path of chasing godliness. Moreover, he was blessed with the opportunity to serve for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), with the goal of using his position for Christ.
Jeju shared that there were a lot of instances where he was tempted, yet he stood firm because of the overflowing love of Jesus. In his young life, Jeju grappled with a myriad of crises, from familial discord to existential doubts that led him down the path of unbelief. However, a chance encounter led him to a pivotal conversation about God’s love and the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Just as Jeju’s experience illustrates, it is through God’s power that we find revival and transformation, becoming new creations as stated in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
