There are many people in the world who do not know the reason to life for. But the good news is that there is a God who touches the lives of people to give them a reason to live for and He is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is not only the Creator of the universe but also involves personally in the lives of people to transform their lives forever. My life story is a living example to say that God touches lives. Therefore, I would like to share about how the Lord Jesus Christ touched my life to know the reason to live in times of hopelessness so that you may understand through my life story that God truly touches and changes lives for His glory.
Before Coming to Christ
Before going further, let me introduce myself. My name is Murali (the name “Murali” means “flute” which was used by one of the gods in Hinduism, named “Krishna” who is considered to be one of the incarnations of main gods). By this time, you might have grasped that I was from a Hindu background. Yes, I was born and brought up in a Hindu family in which I was taught since the childhood that there are many gods and that I should fear them to get along in life.
The more I was hearing about gods, I became a devotee of a god, named “Rama” who is considered to be one of the incarnations of main god. I became his devotee because his character looked to me better than all others. I became his devotee to the point of getting up early in the morning to do puja (worship). I was hoping that he would bless me.
My father was a vice-president in our cast society. It means that people who had conflicts between each other would approach my father for a solution rather than going to police station or court. In this way my father earned a good reputation in our society. In my home, I was a younger son to my parents (I had three elder brothers and one younger sister). I was very boastful of my religious activities and used to oppose Christianity out rightly.
Coming to Christ
I had a goal in my life to become a successful and money earning film music director since I liked music a lot. Because of this, I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. Consequently, I failed in many of the subjects in 11th and 12th standard. Then my parents started to scold me which created a lot of disappoint in my heart. When I couldn’t get the opportunities for what I wanted to become, all these factors contributed to have a deeper depression in my heart which I couldn’t expressed to anyone. This led me finally to the point of losing hope in life. I couldn’t sleep properly and I had no peace in my heart. On the one hand, my parents were scolding and on the other hand, I was not achieving what I wanted to achieve. Finally depression took over me and I was troubled so much. I thought life is not worthy to live. Therefore, I decided to end up my life by committing suicide.
It was at this point of time that I continued to do puja (worship) even more to the god in whom I believed with a hope that he would grant me some peace in my heart. But he didn’t. Then I started to go to the temple after temple and god after god to seek for peace in my heart. But to my disappointment, no god helped me nor heard my cry. This increased even more disappointment in which I was fed up with all the gods whom I worshipped. Then I said to myself that there is no god in the universe and these are all man-made stories.
During those days, I came across some Christians who told me that Jesus is the only true God and that He died for our sins. I used make fun of them and scolded them not to come to me to say this again. But when they were attempting to meet me, I used to escape from them deliberately by saying to myself that they would eat my brain if I fall into their hands. As the depression was increasing in my heart, I decided to commit suicide immediately. It was on the day before I was planning how to commit suicide. I couldn’t time pass on that day. But my eyes just fell on the Bible which they gave me to read. Then when I opened the Bible, I came across the gospel of Matthew 26-28 chapters which describes about the terrible crucifixion and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, which drew my attention to read the gospel very interestingly.
As I was reading the gospel of Matthew on the same day, all of suddenly, the tears started to fall off my eyes. I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. After three hours of intense reading of the gospel, my heart was convicted. All of my past sins were coming to my mind. There was a heavy sense of conviction of my sin to the point of understanding that I will go to the lake of fire if I commit suicide. Then I understood the purpose of Jesus crucifixion that it was not to establish a Christian religion but to bear the punishment of my sin which I should bear in the lake of fire.
Finally, I cried out to Jesus with a great weeping to forgive my sins and to rescue me from the depression of my heart. I told Jesus that I would follow Him if He delivers me from this unhappy life. Immediately and surprisingly, the great peace of God came into my heart, which I have not experienced ever before. That peace of God took all the burdens of sin from my heart and gave me a great comfort and inexpressible joy to me. Then I understood experientially that Jesus is the true and living God. I committed my life to follow Christ. Later, I started to attend the church and read the Bible continuously to know more about Jesus. It was at the age of 16 that I was touched by Jesus Christ in my deep pit of depression.
After Coming TO Christ
When Jesus Christ touched and changed my heart, I told my parents that I became a follower of Jesus Christ. My whole family was shocked and they were thinking that someone did some mantra (magic) to change me. But I kept on saying that Jesus is the true God and that He died for our sins and came back to life. They did not accept what I was saying. Within few days my own cast people in the society came to know that I became a Christian. Then they started to ask my father to tell them how much foreign money I received to change my religion. My father was a short-tempered person and I had a very tough time for weeks together in my house. I was persecuted verbally and physically for many days just because I gave my life to follow Christ.
I could remember it was the occasion of my second elder brother’s marriage. Almost all of my relatives from every side came to attend. Then my father told some of my close relatives to change my mind. It was one after the another came to talk to me to change my mind. As God was working in my heart powerfully, I told all of them that I did not change the religion nor I received foreign money to change my mind. When my father realized that none of this worked to change my decision, he became very serious to the point of whipping me in the presence of my relatives. But my mother came and stopped him.
Still I could remember what he said to me in front of my relatives: “if you want to continue your studies and have part in the property, better you leave Christ god. But if you say that I want to follow Christ, leave my house and live your own life”. It was a crucial moment in my life to decide between my earthly father and my heavenly Father. But I thank God that He reminded me a scripture which says that “He who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of me (Mt 10:37)”. God gave me strength and boldness to say in front of my family members and relatives that I want to follow Christ since His love became so precious to me.
After few days, I packed up my cloths and left my house to be away. It was in the year of 1996 December that God touched my heart. It was in 1997 February that I left my parents. Since then I stayed away from my parents for long time. However, I am happy that I found the reason to live for. And that is to glorify God by accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord and savior of my life through repentance of my sins and trust in Jesus alone.
Though my family relationship was broken for the sake of relationship with Jesus Christ, I want thank God that He used me to influence my third elder brother and my mother to turn to the Lord. Now they are born-again believers who turned from idols to serve the living God.
I committed my life to serve Him in gratitude since I felt strongly in my heart that I should give my life to do His work on the earth. Now I am in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ by sharing about His goodness with many others like me.
Conclusion
Dear Reader, I do not know how you are feeling after all you read my life story. But I am overwhelmed in my heart with thanksgiving. I say like the psalmist “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Thy name give glory Because of Thy loving kindness, because of Thy truth (Ps 115:1)”. If you have not yet experienced the loving kindness and tender mercy of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness of your sins, then may I plead you to give your life to Christ for there is so much of pleasure and joy in Him than in the world. I have enough confidence in Christ that God who touched and changed my life is also able to touch your life if you turn to Him no matter what your circumstances and difficulties are. My prayer is that the Lord may use my life story for His glory to change many lives to find the reason to live for.
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