One Foot in Front

A Testimony by Royston Labrooy

Boring, unattractive, religious, these are the words I once used to describe the church.

 Growing up in a catholic family with its customs and ritualistic expression seemed a far cry from the fun, free, unrestricted path that the world had to offer. What was on offer? A carefree lifestyle where alcohol and cannabis were part of the daily routine. I thought I was doing fine, I mean, everything at least made sense, until that day, during that conversation. I remember the feeling of brokenness and loss of identity. The man who I believed to be my father, all of a sudden wasn’t. As my mother spoke my mind began to drift, who was I? What do I do now?

A close friend of mine invited me to church. It felt like the sermon was tailored to be a perfect fit for my situation. ‘God is your father, God loves you, God will never forsake you’ were words that not only provided comfort but also stirred something inside of me. I realised I wasn’t right with God, I was far from God, but finally I was ready to accept him as my Lord and Saviour.

Reading, praying and fellowshipping were becoming all the more frequent until my Christian walk took an adverse turn. I began to reminisce, thinking about the pleasures of the world and as our brains so often do, the painful memories were eradicated and replaced with the fantasy that life had been a blissful, fulfilling experience up to this point.

I became isolated, relegated to a putrid life that consisted of an almost compulsory, insatiable, continuous cycle of destruction. Smoking and drinking were almost obligatory activities.

I distinctly remember avoiding Tooting as I knew that I would have to come face to face with a past I had left behind. I think deep down it was a way to avoid the spiritual conviction that would follow.

After months of rejecting the idea of returning to church, and more importantly God, I accepted a friend’s invitation to attend a service. Although I came with the wrong motive, God began to deal with me during the service.

It was like God was talking to me, telling me that he had a destiny for me.

The things that for so long had held me a captive of sin were dealt with, not on my own strength but the pure power that comes from the word of God. There were no quick fixes, no overnight perfect discipleship program but over time God changed my heart.

I was never one who possessed natural flair or a desire for public speaking, an introvert by nature, and this shy, reclusive character was changed. I now have a passion for the things of Christ, even if that means being in uncomfortable situations. I realised that many people in the Bible would perhaps not be deemed natural choices as leaders. I was a man of excuses, but God continued to change me into an overcomer, willing to be used by God, leaning on his strength in unsure times.

My message to anyone reading this would be to come as you are. God doesn’t ask us to come to him in a perfected state; in fact it is impossible to attain perfection by ourselves. Through Christ we are made clean in the sight of God. God will change you if you trust and put one foot in front of the other.