“I grew up in a Christian household in the middle of the Bible Belt. Because of that, there were very, very few people I knew who didn’t say they were Christian. Because I went to a private Christian school and was involved in a large church, all of my friends were Christians. This made it really easy from a young age to understand and accept Christ.
“In high school, my family and I moved states, and I found myself in a radically different place. It was a shock to me to be at a much bigger school and surrounded by so many kids who did not consider themselves Christians.
“It felt like my entire support system and community had fallen away. I began to drift from the Lord and found my identity in sports and my image. I was known as a ‘good guy’ and worked to maintain a clean, Christian image.
“In my senior year on a college visit to SMU, I also visited Watermark and immediately felt like it was home. I saw the opportunity to reconnect with a Christian community and receive Bible-based teaching. Seeing a local church like Watermark really highlighted what I was missing in North Carolina. I had been so isolated, and I really wanted to be surrounded by people who would point me to Christ in my everyday life.
“Once at SMU, I joined a Christian fraternity and became a member at Watermark – through both, the Lord brought guys around me who prioritized their walks with the Lord. From these relationships, I truly learned how to read the Bible, pray, and love others around me. I was reminded that I would continue to fall short and fail, even with my ‘good guy’ image. But because of Christ, I am forgiven (Romans 5:8). No matter how many times I fall short, I am ultimately saved and secure in Christ. It was the security I’d been missing (Romans 8:38-39).
“I started serving in Watermark Kids with kids under two years old – an age where they don’t even know how to speak yet. They barely knew how to say their names! Those kids I started serving have grown up to be almost five years old!
“At first, I felt like a babysitter. As humans, we can sometimes think of serving from the perspective of ‘What am I getting out of it?’ or ‘How does it benefit me?’ But I was humbled when I realized it was not about me. But even if they’re too young to understand the gospel, God transformed my heart to see this as an incredible opportunity to serve their parents. It’s a full hour and a half where they don’t have to think about shepherding their kids. They can go and be filled with the message of the gospel and then come back encouraged, renewed, and ready to lead their families.
“One of my favorite parts of serving is when a parent comes to pick up their kid. Initially, the kid doesn’t want to be dropped off; usually, they cry, and I’m sure from a parent’s perspective, it doesn’t feel great. But by the end of the hour and a half, the kid gets acclimated and has fun with the activities, reading, and curriculum and forgets their parent even left. The best part is the moment when the parent comes back, and the kid sees them standing in the doorway – they drop everything and run to the door to hug their parent. They may get distracted temporarily by the toys in the room, but ultimately their parents are better than all of the toys I could ever offer, and the kid acts accordingly. It is such a good reminder to me of the way I should be dropping every distraction to run after God who is greater than I can possibly fathom!
“I look back at my life so far, and I see God’s steadfastness through my own seasons of highs and lows. His work in my life has never stopped, and that’s a good thing to be reminded of. Even when I was falling away from the faith, He was never pulling away from me. I’m so thankful that we have an amazing God who can choose us and use us in His plan when we are not worthy.”