She is God’s Image: Testimony

My Name is Didiya Gqutyana born and raised in Umtata, Eastern Cape, South Africa, I am a born-again daughter of God. I love saying that, because it had not been an easy journey to relate to God as a father, since I grew up with practically just my mother. My father passed away when I was 3 and throughout my childhood and early adolescence, I never thought growing up without a father had much impact on me, I’ve always thought, I take after my mother in going through life not giving much thought about things, I thought not caring was a good thing until I realized that was just our coping mechanism, coping mechanism to dealing with lack, stress and unmet desires. Growing up we had many times of lack, so in coping with that I’d stifle my feelings and pretend I’m ok with it. In my teen years, the fear of vulnerability and letting people in kept me from experiencing the true freedom I needed. Stifling desires, feelings, and deep-seated questions and moving on ignore mode may seem like a good and working solution until it all crumbles. It crumbled for me when in my teenage years I would contemplate suicide having to feel hopeless and purposeless, I couldn’t find the solution within me of why I was dissatisfied with life, and so I had to search it externally if it was not obsessive reliance on friends for happiness, it was pornography, if not it was secular music. But I’ve found the more I pursued these things the more void my heart would still be. I Wouldn’t say my childhood was marked by abuse or anything like that, but I still felt lost and empty amidst people's praises and expectations of me, they were too hard to bear. I grew up in the church and in early childhood, I was serving, I was not foreign to people's praises and affirmation, but people normally love you based on performance but trust me it never fully satisfies, but Jesus loves you whether you are performing or not, His love is pure & confident. One word of affirmation from Him is better than a thousand elsewhere, Real affirmation comes from Christ.

I encountered Jesus personally at the age of 19, I encountered Jesus when my life was about to take a turn for the worst, I needed affirmation and validation, something I’ve always longed for in my early teens I needed to feel important in life and I was determined to pursue the things I thought I needed to feel that sense of importance if not, something to cover that void space. It turned out that God was acquainted with my silent groans even from afar off, he was studying my heart and at 19 He introduced himself to me. When I encountered and gave my life to Jesus I was drawn by the affirmation that flowed from His Love, I marveled at the feeling of being known deeply and still being loved, there are things that we are even ashamed of about ourselves that we think if people knew they would reject us, but I was marveled that God would intimately know those things and yet still loves you passionately. I said Yes to Jesus not even knowing what the fruits of that Yes would be. HIS PASSION IN PUSRSING is the reason I pursue Him back.

She is God’s image and is one of the fruits of my yes to Jesus, when He shone His light on me, I could not help it, I had to tell someone about this, I knew that I couldn’t keep such a treasure secrete. The woman at the well is like me, I was caught in adultery but not condemned, instead, Jesus traded my sin and my brokenness for Glory, what manner of love is this!!!

I can’t begin to tell of the amazing things God has done for me, if I did it would fill a book, but from filling the void of not having a father to giving me a life marked by purpose and the constant enjoyment of His presence. I can finally say I am content in life and that I have discovered the reason I was created. But I know that if he has done it for the woman at the well, do it for me, He can do it for you too.

If you want to receive Jesus as your Lord and savior if you want to experience true and eternal freedom, this is not about religion or what church you need to go to, but this is to discover the truth about who you really are. If that is you, please make this prayer.

Prayer!!

Jesus, I need you in my life, I’m in search of truth, and I have heard that is who you are. I believe that you died for the sins of the world and my sin too, I acknowledge my sin and my need for you. Come into my life and make my heart your dwelling place, be my Lord and savior. In Jesus' name.

If you made this prayer, please email me at sheisgodsimage@gmail.com SO that I can stand in agreement with you on your decision.

Love.

Didiya