I was born and raised in Switzerland in a small and pretty village. I have two brothers and two sisters. When I was a teenager my parents
had some major problems in their marriage. After some years of “fighting” they finally got divorced. For me it was a difficult time. I was in the middle of an apprenticeship and what I actually needed was support from my family and advice for the daily things I encountered in this new business world. But home was a chaos! I felt like everything was dark inside of me. It seemed to me like someone had taken away the foundation under my feet. My parents didn’t have much time for me and my siblings anymore. They kept us on a loose leash. I took advantage of my “new freedom”. I was going out every night, also because I couldn’t stand it at home. I soon started to have one boyfriend after another.
I drank alcohol and often was so drunk that I didn’t know what had happened the night before. I was smoking a lot and a couple of times I tried marihuana. But nothing and nobody could fill this vacuum in me. My life was like a downward spiral. It was not only because my parents got divorced but also because I didn’t think that my life would make any sense. I often was searching for God but somehow I never broke through to Him.
I felt that I was like a vase that was broken in a thousand of pieces and no one could help me fix it. From the outside no one could see
that I was so unhappy. After some time I started to suffer from bulimia. That was devastating for me because I couldn’t imagine living
like that. My biggest dream was always to get married and have a family. It all topped when I was moving together with my boyfriend in another city. After ten months I realized that our relationship was falling apart. I felt so desperate that I started to pray. I cried to God that
he would help me and that this relationship wouldn’t break apart. I couldn’t imagine to life without my boyfriend. God heard my cry and
helped me but in a different way than I had expected.
This relationship ended. In the same time I started to read the bible and I had a revelation of God. I suddenly realized that I am a sinner and that without the forgiveness of Jesus I would go directly to hell if I died.
So I bent my knees and I prayed… “Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I am so sorry for it. I need your forgiveness. Please come in my life and be my Lord”. It was very important to me that Jesus would be the Lord of my life and not me anymore. With my inner eyes I saw two ways.
It was like a Y-junction; the old way and the new way with Jesus. I decided with all of my heart to go the way with Jesus and not to live ‘my way” anymore. Something happened then. I quit smoking from that moment on. I didn’t have any desire for it anymore! All my old lifestyle suddenly seemed so unattractive to me.
My whole life changed from one day to the other. For me it was clearer than crystal that I would follow Jesus for the rest of my life and that He has something better for me – a purpose for my life! Over the following years God was transforming my life and my heart. I got to know Jesus better when I started to join a church and became an active member.
Now I am a missionary in another country. I have the best husband and three super cute kids…AND…I really feel so complete and happy! If you feel empty inside, like I did, it is because you need Jesus. Ask Him to come into your life and follow HIM.
Sonja Liechti
Your blog is interesting!
Keep up the good work!