I have no idea where to even start when I think about who Abigail Maclean Wilson is. She is so many things; caring, optimistic, lover of books and an amazing conversationalist! But really, above all, she is so completely head over heels in love with Jesus. And even though she lives halfway across the world – every time we chat, she never ceases to inspire me to pick up my Bible after we hang up and spend time with the Lord! Just talking to her encourages me to always be more than just a ‘good church girl’. I honestly could go on, but I hope that you too can be uplifted and encouraged by the way God has moved through her life 🙂

Maclean’s Story

There is a very real and present danger of people living out lukewarm Christianity, thinking they are close to God, when they are not. This is so often because many people engage in the cultural traditions of Christianity without actually being Christians at all. This was the case in my own life.

While I always identified as a Christian, it was not until I was fourteen that I actually became one. I grew up, like many others do, going to church, attending Vacation Bible Schools, and saying a blessing before dinner. These were facets of my life that were routine. We simply did them and we never discussed them as a family. When I was around twelve, I started reading the Bible, every day just because it seemed like something Christians should do. I would pray sometimes. Since I identified as a Christian and participated in Christian activities, I felt I knew who God was.  However, I wasn’t truly worshiping God. I would often sit in church and wonder if God was really there. It seemed too far-fetched to imagine that an immaterial God could exist. 

Becoming More than that ‘Good Church Girl’, It Started with a Guy…

When I was thirteen, I met a guy in school through mutual friends. We quickly became friends ourselves. Something that interested me about him was that it was so obvious to anyone who knew him that he was a Christian. He always talked about the things he was doing at church and he easily brought up God in conversations. I had never met anyone who talked about their faith so openly. As I considered myself a Christian, I would have conversations with him about God and the Bible.

Our friendship deepened as we kept in touch over the summer and grew even more in the next school year. His faith was challenging to me. He lived a life of trusting in God and I struggled to keep my eyes open when reading the Bible. One particular day that autumn, I realized how hypocritical I was being. I pretended to love God, and yet I didn’t believe He existed. I went up to my bedroom and knelt before my window. I had nothing to bring and nothing to offer, only doubts and questions. I prayed, tears streaming down my face, admitting to the world that I didn’t know if God was real or not. I asked God to show Himself to me if He really was there. 

Click the image above to grab your FREE mini eBook designed to help you overcome the 10 signs of a lukewarm Christian! Reflect on it, read it and be reminded of how you should be living H.O.T for Christ!

In the Midst of Helplessness He Revealed His Strength

Over the next three months, God worked powerfully in my life and I heard multiple sermons that spoke to my soul. Then, my mom and sister were in a car accident. My sister was in the hospital.

In these moments, I realized just how powerless I was. I found myself on my knees again, begging God for help. For the first time, I saw the promises God has for us in the Bible. God promises to be with us and to give us peace, even in hard times. I realized that God gave these promises to us to show us who He is and to give us hope. Exactly three months after my initial prayer, I was able to see how much my life had changed. God had answered my desperate prayer and He had opened my eyes to see Him. I no longer wanted to live for myself and I wasn’t concerned with petty inconveniences. I realized that life is so much bigger than myself and I trusted God to be in control.

Click the image above to grab your FREE mini eBook designed to help you overcome the 10 signs of a lukewarm Christian! Reflect on it, read it and be reminded of how you should be living H.O.T for Christ!

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Around that same time, I began reading the Gospel of John and I experienced the transforming power of the Bible. Previously in my daily Bible reading, I had been reading chronologically and I had not made it to the New Testament. Reading John opened my eyes to who Jesus really was and to the incredible sacrifice He made on our behalf.  Jesus came to earth to pay for our sins before God. I suddenly saw God not just as someone who wants to heal us physically, but as our Father who wants to restore us to Himself. We all justly deserve punishment for turning away from God and disobeying the commands He gave us. My eyes became opened to the fact that my past of going to church and reading the Bible didn’t make me a Christian. In fact, I had been heading straight to hell.

As Hebrews 11:6 says “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists.” I had been going through the motions of being a Christian without actually believing or loving God. And yet, God chose to graciously save me from the punishment I deserve. It is only in repenting of our sins before God and trusting that He has forgiven us through the blood of Jesus for His glory that we can be saved. The end of that verse in Hebrews says God “rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Even though I had tried to live on my own for so long, God was delighted to hear my prayer and was faithful to draw me to Himself.

Because of this transformation in my life, I became hungry to know all I could about God and the Bible. Because of what Jesus did for me, I desired to change my life for Him. I started reading the New Testament. I started listening to Christian music and writing Christian songs and poems, not to become a Christian, but because I lived with the joy that God had already made me one. 

Then Came the Heartbreak… And the Reminder of the Promises God Made Me

At this point, me and my guy friend had a very deep friendship. We were not in an official relationship, but we very clearly liked each other. We continued like this for two more years and then, in my junior year of high school, when I was sixteen, he asked me to prom… And then he changed his mind, saying he didn’t actually want to go as my date. We fought about it and then stopped talking altogether.

I was devastated. He had been my best friend and knew everything about me. He understood my faith in a way no one else did. And I had lost him. I had always thought heartache was just an over-exaggeration, but I felt it in a very real way. It was a physical pain. I would cry myself to sleep. I felt ugly, dirty and unlovable. I would forget about him for a little bit and then something would make me think of him and all the anger and pain and confusion would come flooding back to me. I knew God said He loved me and that He had a beautiful plan for my life, but I just couldn’t accept it. 

After a couple of months like this, I was on vacation with my family and having had a particularly rough day, I just wanted to be alone. That night, I walked out to the beach and sat in the sand, looking up at the stars. I was struck with the incredible beauty of the Milky Way spread out before me. In that instant, I felt God’s peace wash over me. I realized that if God had planned out each and every star and was holding them all in place, then He also had a plan for my life and was holding me through it. All of the truths that I hadn’t been able to accept immediately washed over me. I am loved. I am beautiful. I am God’s daughter. When I left the beach, I also left my pain and heartache behind and never turned back.

—> You might also like: How to Find God When You Feel Like He is Playing a Game of Peek-a-Boo

An Unshakeable Identity was Birthed

A Bible verse that I kept turning to during this time was Isaiah 43:1-2 in which the Lord says “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” I found these verses to be so beautiful and encouraging. I didn’t have to depend on anyone else for acceptance and love because God had already given these things to me. He promises to be with me and to help me through difficult situations. I had experienced first hand how true this was.

In hindsight, I can see what a blessing all of this was. While I thought I was showing love to my friend, I was actually just operating out of selfishness and wanting the things he could do for me. I was also using him as a bridge to God. I relied on his thoughts about who God was and I relied on his prayers. God was gracious enough to tear this down so that I could build up my life again, this time with Jesus as my unshakeable foundation. Through all of this, I learned what it means to love, forgive and trust God. My own relationship with Jesus grew incredibly as I sank into the truth that He and He alone is the one who has made a way for us to know God. Jesus is the one who completes me, now and always.

—> You might also like: How to Find Your Identity in Christ

Click the image above to grab your FREE mini eBook designed to help you overcome the 10 signs of a lukewarm Christian! Reflect on it, read it and be reminded of how you should be living H.O.T for Christ!

A Reflection…

In writing this testimony, and thinking back over my life, I can see how God’s hand has been over it all. Nothing is random. He has orchestrated everything for His purpose. My heart’s desire is to know God more through my relationship with Jesus and I have found indescribable joy and peace in prayer and in reading His Word. My main purpose, now and always, is to glorify God. I pray I do just that every second of my life. God is worthy of all praise and glory from all of His creation. Come to Him in worship. Taste and see how good He is. Repent of your sins and know the beauty of redemption.  

Testimonies from Other Girls in the Tribe

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Melissa’s Testimony: Finding Jesus in the Midst of Anxiety, Wordliness and Heartbreak

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Shante’s Testimony: Set Free From a Relationship Idol

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Oyelola’s Testimony: How God Saved Me Through a Medical Miracle

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Kristina’s Testimony: How I Found God as a Former Perfectionist and People-Pleaser

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … Hannah’s Testimony: Finding Jesus in the Midst of Anxiety and Broken Dreams

or browse the blog HERE!

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Do you Have a Story?

If you’ve got a testimony or a story to share, please send me an email at hi@truthfullymichelle.com

I’d love to get in touch with you and share your beautiful story too!

Before You Go…

Drop a comment in the comment section below! And let me know whether you still just go through the motions of a ‘good church girl’ or if you are living your life actively in pursuit of glorifying the one who calls you by name! Let’s start a discussion!

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Hope to see ya there!

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