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The meaning of life is only in the Christ
Anna Godymchuk
I was born in Tomsk in an ordinary Soviet family. My mother was a fire protection officer, my father a driver, and two sisters. After school I graduated university, where I became very passionate about science and later defended my dissertation.
While I was studying and arranging my professional life, there were hard times in my family for 10 years – my older sister was addicted to drugs and was serving time. Neither I nor my parents knew how to help her. Now I remember with great bitterness how I disowned her.
Our family had never talked about God, but in 2003 my sister went to a Christian center where she was freed from her addiction. When she came back from there Zhenya gave me a Bible and told me that it was God who helped her, that He really was, and that He wanted to be close to me too. In principle I acknowledged that there was a God, but I was convinced that He was needed by people who were addicted, people who were wrong and who didn’t know how to live. But I knew how to live, and I was doing well without God. In 2008 I went to a Christian festival with my sister and was inspired by the life of believers, but … I still considered myself the mistress of my life, my success and my happiness.
Time passed
By 2015, trusting in my own strength, I had become a successful teacher, worked and published abroad, raised my beloved son, had many friends and a good professional reputation.
But in parallel with all the success and outward confidence, there was a void in my soul that nothing could fill … no loved ones, no publications, no entertainment. I was extremely lonely. I was alone.
When the loneliness became unbearable, I called my sister and asked: “Should I start going to church?” She gave me the phone number of a pastor in Tomsk. We had tea and I cried and told him about my life. I told him about how I had been suffering from insomnia for four years, that I was in a shameful relationship, that I consumed alcohol almost every day and that I had no sense in life. I remember how Bogdan simply suggested that I come to church. From that day on, for almost three years I attended meetings at the House of Prayer on Sundays, listening to sermons and songs. Amidst the bright, enthusiastic, and calm faces, I seemed so tortured, discouraged, and dirty to myself. I avoided fellowship, I ran away early from services, but in an incomprehensible way God gradually changed my heart and fed me with His Word and warmth.
I later found out that our church had women’s meetings, so I dared to go.
I remember on March 7, 2018, suffering from a severe hangover, I got to fellowship with the sisters for the first time.
I started attending sororities steadily and reading the Bible every morning. Within weeks of one Sunday sermon, passages from Scripture were reaching my heart and mind. “He who believes in me shall not come into judgment,” “He who believes in me shall not thirst,” “…shall not remain in darkness,” “…shall have eternal life.” I looked at this black book with a gold cross and thought excitedly, “If this is not true, then I have nothing to lose by being reconciled to God. And if there is also eternal life and judgment…then it is worth laying down my whole life to seek God.”
When I realized that it was time to make a decision, perhaps the most important decision of my life, I wanted to talk to God.
In church I saw believers praying.
I put my son to bed, turned off the light, sat on my bed, and closed my eyes.
Like a scholar, I laughed to myself, but I knew I had to take a chance and pray. In utter darkness, I whispered a call to the Lord. I remembered my countless sins, wept, and asked for forgiveness.
At that time I could not have imagined how quickly my life would begin to change. It was filled with joy, meaning, hope, and prayer. God restored my sleep, healed my heart, gave me a great family in my local church, and gave me strength to fight vicious habits. In July 2018, I received holy water baptism, giving my life to Christ.
I’m still doing science, teaching at the university, interacting with students, but …
My heart is now filled with peace and quiet. I pray, raise my son with the Lord, sing in church and tell those who want to listen about the joy of being with Jesus Christ.
I am no longer anymore.
