I was initially exposed to spiritual things early in junior high school through neighbors and friends, but held a very man-centered view of salvation and the Gospel. "Being saved" required no more than a prayer uttered because of a fear of hell, and it became a means by which I could fit in with the spiritual crowd. While professing to be a Christian throughout high school, I continued to live and make decisions for myself; in reality, I was my own lord without any hatred toward sin or desire for the things of God (i.e. His word, His people, etc.). However, within a week upon entering college, I began to realize the lengths that I was willing to go in order to find joy, peace, acceptance, and fulfillment apart from God and was broken over my sin for the first time. Because of the truths that I had been taught the previous years, I knew that my only hope was found through the cross of Jesus Christ. It was then that I placed my trust in the Jesus’ completed work on the cross, and it was then that the Lord redeemed my heart and began to change desires and perspectives.