HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Hanceville senior Karys Henderson has faced some adversity in her life but thanks God for helping her along the way. In this interview, Henderson discussed her relationship with her faith and how she wants to help other people with it.
“God means everything to me. I’ve been going to church my entire life and have been trying to build my relationship with the Lord, but I always had a roadblock ahead of me. When I was seven, I prayed the salvation prayer, but unfortunately, I lacked a repentant heart and 100% belief. From that point on, I was missing a true faith in Him and heaven. Despite being able to pray to God and learn from Him, I was not a true Christian. But we had a sermon on Matthew 7, and I was just completely uncomfortable, thank God. The Lord didn’t let my soul rest until I made the decision that day to truly repent and believe in His love. To make a long story short, this testimony is very important to me, because it shows God’s unconditional love and mercy. He welcomed me in, and I’m excited to live my life for Him now with my newfound joy.” Henderson said.
Karys learned so much from that experience and shared some of her favorite Bible verses.
“I have learned that no amount of pride is worth missing out on God’s purpose for us and the gift of heaven. I can’t wait to see what He reveals to me over the coming years and years of my life. I’m so thankful that He is a God who teaches us something new every day,” Henderson said. “A couple of my favorite Bible verses are, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:6-7), and, ‘But we have this treasure of jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.’ (2 Corinthians 4:7-9) These two verses have encouraged me to not be afraid and to rely on the Lord’s strength rather than mine. They have also helped me to take a step back from the situation I am in and turn to prayer.”
Karys wants to continue sharing what she has learned from her experience with younger people as well.
“I’m grateful for a God who ultimately loves on people and draws them in. A good way that I can and have helped is by simply being a Godly friend/teammate or leading a Bible Study. I’m just a servant for God to spread the gospel, because God will take the next step. God has taught me this through a book called “Growing Up”, by Robby Gallaty, almost a year ago. He explains this by saying, ‘Success in evangelism is in the sharing, not the saving. Only God can save, but He commands us to share. Our responsibility begins and ends with the sharing of the gospel.’ I have personally struggled with letting my mindset be that it was my job for the person to be saved, but I have learned that God will work with the rest, and that my purpose is to share and make relationships with the lost,” She said. “I want to help out the kids so much. We had VBS almost a year ago, and it just filled my heart to be a part of a church who invests in the lives of kids who are looking for love and hope. I pray that He will give me more opportunities to be a disciple, and I know that He will provide. I also pray that He pushes me to do so and not turn down a chance like I have in the past.”
Karys talked about a mission trip that she went on a few years ago and wants to continue to make a difference in her community. She gave advice to any people that want to have a relationship with God as well.
“I have been a part of only one mission trip so far, and that was six years ago. We stayed in Hanceville to work around the community and nursing home, and that was a really great experience. I’ve also done smaller projects at my church, but I have been given the opportunity by God to look at every day as going into the mission field. As of now, I’m serving in the areas God has placed me, but I look forward to getting more opportunities in other places,” she said. “To those seeking salvation and a relationship, I would start by telling them to pray. Ask God to teach you, relieve your pain, and guide you to repentance. I would also tell them to join a church, talk to a pastor, or talk to a Christian that you know. There are so many more opportunities to grow closer to God. Also, study and read the Bible. A mentor recently explained to me that when we don’t understand what a piece of text means, sit in that uncomfortableness and ask God to reveal His truth to you, rather than give up or lose hope. We are so blessed to serve a Lord that gives us free will but desperately wants us to seek Him. He gave His son to us so that we could receive a relationship with Him, if we would only accept Him into our hearts.”
Karys has many Godly role models in her life that she looks up to, and she has learned so much from them.
“I’m beyond blessed to have many Godly people in my life. Having a Christian family and church family has been a privilege. Some of these people are my family, my pastor, my youth pastors, my Sunday school leaders, my friends, my coaches, my mentors and members at church, my camp leaders, and so many more that I sometimes take for granted. Each and every one of them are just as important as the next, because they are all disciples of God, and I’m so thankful to have received the gift of numerous brothers and sisters in Christ,” Henderson said. “I have learned that God wants us to trust in Him as our saviors, because we will never be able to save ourselves, no matter how you nice you are, if you’re a good person, or if you try to obey the Bible. All of us are sinners, so we all need Jesus. I’m no better than anyone who seems to have committed big sins. We all need His mercy and forgiveness. We need to praise Jesus that we don’t have to save ourselves, because we would be living a pointless life then.”
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