Thursday

Who really is our friends? Before I became a witness, I had the kind of friends that if we saw something you had on and liked, we will take it. I had no fear of dying. I didn't care. The friends I had, I would have taken a bullet for. I have been shot at because of my friends. I had a knife to my throat. I've been stabbed in the back before.

That is the life I had and I thought that was the life. I expected to die before I reached the age of 18. That was the plan. That is what I expected because people around me were dying. Friends that I had since I was young gone just like that. To me though that was normal. I expected to go the same way.

Even when I put that gun to my head to end it all, I didn't care. I had problems with no solutions, no real answers. When I became a witness things changed for me. I couldn't do the same things I used to do. I couldn't hurt anyone anymore over a color or whatever.

It wasn't about where we were from anymore. What street I claimed. It was all about being a Jehovah's Witness. That was my goal. It was about pleasing Jehovah. It wasn't about looking for someone to hit with my fists. It was about pleasing Jehovah. I saw with my own eyes the truth and it was right in my face. The bible.....Jehovah's means of communication. He saw something in my heart and that moved me to react. I changed. I went from smoking to quitting cold turkey. I went from doing drugs to stop doing drugs. I went from getting drunk everyday to drinking in moderation.

I did this for Jehovah because I knew that's what he wanted. He showed me through his words just how much he loves me and my actions showed just how much I loved him. It wasn't over night of course. I had to make many changes but everything I learned I had to tell someone LOOK WE DO HAVE A FUTURE. I ran to tell my friends, same friends who I would have taken a bullet for.

Funny.....they didn't want me around anymore. I loved these guys as if they were my own brothers. How can you get offended and not want me around because I talked about God? I didn't understand but I knew the choice I had to make. Well, they made it simple.

I stayed with Jehovah. Because of that, I became a better father to Jesse when he was younger. I became a better husband to my wife. My friends started to talk behind my back. At first I didn't want to say I was a Jehovah's Witness. I just said I was Christian.

After they realized that I wouldn't do the things they do, they stopped coming by and even stopped calling me. I would have died for any of these guys. I guess they didn't feel the same.

to be continued......................................