Jessie Hudak, a seventeen-year-old junior at Tallmadge high school converses about her faith in God and offers advice to others. 

Q: Who/what first introduced you to Christianity?

A: I grew up in the Catholic church but I did not start taking my faith seriously until the Covid lockdown in 2020. I was scrolling through TikTok and a Christian influencer showed up on my for you page, and the video really opened my eyes and led me back to Jesus. Growing up, I did all the things: went to church, Sunday school, etc. but I never personally chose Jesus for myself until 2020. I think I always believed in Him but it was not until I saw that one TikTok video that I realized wow. Jesus loves me! And that’s when I decided to come home to Him.

Q: What is your testimony?

A: Again, I grew up in the Catholic church but I never really knew Jesus personally. I always struggled a lot with comparison and trying to fit in so badly with everyone around me. I tried to be someone that I was not, and it was killing me and draining me. But then, when I found Jesus, I realized I did not need to fit in. I did not need to be the most popular person ever or the prettiest girl in the school. Jesus does not care what my social status is, and He showed me that.

Q: Have you been baptized? If so, when did you decide to? If not, are you planning on doing it? If you aren’t, why not?

A: I was baptized as a baby because in the Catholic church you are usually baptized at a very young age. However, I wish I was able to choose for myself because I personally believe that it is your own decision on your own conscience to get baptized. Maybe I will get baptized again in the future, but I know I have already been baptized by the Holy Spirit when I put my faith in Jesus.

Q: What is something you would tell a new Christian to help them learn more about God?

A: The one thing I would tell a new Christian is that you do not have to be perfect for Jesus to love you. I have definitely fell for that myth time and time again that if I mess up even once, Jesus will turn away from me. That is so not true. When you decide to put your faith in Jesus, you will still fail. Yes, you will want to not fail and you will want to become more Christlike, but we are imperfect human beings who will continue to be imperfect until we go to heaven. But God is merciful and gracious, and that is why we need Jesus in the first place: we could never be perfect on our own. Do not beat yourself up when you fail- just get back up and let Jesus love you and show you His grace.

Q: What is your favorite go-to verse and why?

A: I do not really have a go-to verse, but I think one of them would be Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” The reason I love these two verses so much is because it reminds me of the true gospel, that Jesus died for me and took on the punishment for my sins, and that to be saved it is by nothing I have done or can do, but only by the amazing grace of Jesus. I just think it is a great reminder for really everyone.

Q: Do you believe prayer has helped you? If so, why? If not, why?

A: I definitely believe that prayer has helped me. Even if a prayer has not been answered, I still know that when I pray, I am talking to my Father, my Creator, the One who loves me more than anyone could. It is a comforting thing to know that there is always someone there who is willing to listen. Even when I feel lonely or as though I do not have anyone to turn to, I know that I can go to Jesus and tell Him anything and everything. He loves to hear from his children!

Q: What has been your favorite part about your relationship with God?

A: My favorite part of my relationship with God has just been the love and joy I have felt. I have never felt such amazing and true love as I did when I was first saved and even now, the love is still incredible. He has given me joy knowing that I am free, and it is a feeling that I cannot even begin to put into words. Just knowing that you can have a relationship with the Creator of the entire universe blows my mind, and the fact that He wants to have a relationship with me, a sinful imperfect human being, means so, so much.

Q: What do you wish you could tell someone who does not like Christians/Christian religion? How would you convince someone to change their mind?

A: If I could tell somebody who does not like Christians or Christianity one thing, it would be that just because I am a Christian, I am by no means perfect and will never be. I am no better than anybody else. Christianity is not about being perfect, it it about believing that Jesus was perfect for you, that Jesus lived the perfect life FOR YOU. Yes, once you are saved you will want to change and become more like Him, but I wish people knew that Christians mess up too. Jesus wants and craves a relationship with everybody, no matter who you are. Seek Him first, and change will come once you understand His amazing love and grace for you.

Q: What is one thing you wish you could change in our world and why?

A: One thing I wish I could change in this world is the amount of hate living in it. Jesus does not enjoy hate and seeing it hurts. Jesus does not enjoy hate, so to just have a more peaceful, respectful, and loving world would be so amazing.

Q: Anything else you would like to share about yourself, your experiences, Christianity, FCA, etc?

A: Even though I have been a Christian for a few years, I am still learning. I am still trying to change to become more like Jesus and I am still struggling with certain things. But I know that life is a journey and that throughout it all, Jesus is with me and will never leave me. He always welcomes me back with open arms, and so to encourage anybody reading this, I just hope you understand the amount of love, grace, joy, and peace that is waiting for you in the arms of Jesus.