Adrian's Story
How Jesus changed my life
I was brought up in a Roman Catholic family and
all the traditions connected with that - first confession, first
communion and confirmation. Making my first confession as a child
had no effect on me. I went into the confessional box and told the
priest what I had done wrong but I had no true remorse inside me.
My first communion was much the same. As I got older my prayers
to God became less frequent and I really questioned God's existence.
I was eleven years old when I went to make my confirmation.
The big day arrived. I went up to the Bishop, who
said a few words, I gave my promise and that was it! Next please
- bewildered I stared at the guy who stood behind me and I remember
telling him that I must have missed something. Maybe I had forgotten
to say "amen" and the Spirit skipped me. I forgot about
God after that. Anyway there wasn't one I thought.
Unfortunately, my family life wasn't the greatest
and the only escape I could find was in drugs, drink and solvents.
I stole to feed my habits and gave my parents more problems than
they had already. Hiding my feelings and emotions behind drink and
drugs wasn't the answer and eventually I blew up one night. All
my suppressed feelings and anger erupted and I took another man's
life.
After
a few years, it really hit home - the pain, the hurt. I lay in a prison
within a prison. There are no words to describe the taking of a life;
a part of you dies with that person. You can't dream, you can't love
and everything, every day, reminds you of what you did.
