Life Above Reproach

My Testimony by Aaron Cardenas

Growing up was rough for me.  Living in a “gang banging,” watching over your shoulder, drug selling, gun shooting neighborhood didn’t add to my positive possibilities of being successful.  It hindered me in all reality and shaped, formed, and molded me into the opposite of being successful.             Growing up as a young boy, I looked up to the guys in my area because I thought they were tough, cool, and passionate about what they believed in.   Although they were all those things, they were going down the wrong path, and consequently, it led me down the wrong path.

I have always believed in God.  My whole life I was taught about our Lord Jesus Christ.  I believed he was with me always even when I would do wrong to his world and his creations.  Oh, how I was wrong.  And this was my ignorance and arrogance or cockiness that built up in me because I didn’t have Jesus.  Since I was so distant from our Lord, I thought all the bad things I was doing was getting overlooked because Jesus was watching over me; but I learned the hard way, the very hard way.  All the corruption I put into the world came back to me and landed me in prison, looking at a 12-year sentence.

Although I put myself here, I am not mad at God.  And yes, prison is the worst possible place to ever be on earth, but it has significantly brought me closer to our God and our Lord Jesus Christ.  Being here has brightened my spirit and soul and my walk with God, especially the course “Life Above Reproach.”  I was a little nervous and timid to take a few steps into Christ, but taking this course has guided me and comforted me.  Since I started, I was getting to know God more.  It taught me fundamentals and in-depth knowledge on the love and grace of Jesus.  Taking this course has helped me in so many ways, unimaginable ways, that I never saw before until I took Christ into my heart.  This class has kept me focused on God, on good things, on doing good, and having a good heart.  The Life Above Reproach class has done what I thought my neighborhood should have done—that is, molded me, formed me, and shaped me, but for the good and better.  I’m grateful to have been in this class and grateful that this class was available for me to be in as it has rehabilitated my heart down a correct path.

I thank Life Above Reproach for allowing me to understand God’s grace, to help me understand that I can still be loved by Him and have a new life through Christ and have eternal life, at that!  We can do all things through Christ.  He is our strength for everything physically, spiritually, mentally, and more.  I thank Life Above Reproach for helping me understand this.