Jess was raised in the Catholic faith: attending Catholic school, praying the rosary, going to church on Sunday. But it was more cultural Catholicism than actual faith in God. She believed God’s acceptance of us was based on our actions. She grew up believing she needed to be a certain person and do certain things.

In high school, Jess joined the Christian Society and was introduced to Harbour City Church. Initially she was still stuck in a works-oriented mentality. As she tells it, Monday to Saturday Jess was very different from Sunday Jess. She felt lost. Eventually that led to struggling with the church and struggling with community, and she stopped attending.

Then came a point where she realized she needed to make a decision. If she believed in God she needed to believe in Him from the heart and to align her actions with that faith. Jess started listening to the sermons more genuinely, and realized she had been putting on a certain persona. Because of the gospel of Christ, she didn’t need to be someone else, she could come to church as she is and trust God’s Word and have that transform her heart.

Jess has embraced that God has given her certain quirks, characteristics, and gifts and that He loves her completely as she is. Her assurance doesn’t come from what she thinks of herself or what other people think of her. It comes from what God thinks of her.