My life with Jesus

I'd like to say it began sometime around the age of six or seven years. Around that age I was able to finally grasp a hold of some of the complexities surrounding why I was waking up early on Sunday mornings and why we as a family would pray before every meal. But the true “Follower of Christ” mentality didn’t start until I reached the age of thirteen. At that point I had made a decision with myself to follow his example with all of my heart and soul. Following Him was the only thing that made sense at the time, more than acquiring the riches of Earth, more than being famous, more than falling in love. So I made the choice to become baptized. Immediately afterwards I went to a youth group retreat and made a resolution to read the bible all the way through. As I was reading one night, I came across Ecclesiastes and immediately fell in love. What “the preacher” had to say aligned exactly with my thoughts and feelings. I summarized it in only a few words, “Everything that we can gain under the sun is merely to please our own vanity.” And took to heart the conclusive statement, “This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man,” –Ecclesiastes 12:13. The final verse of Ecclesiastes (all men must give an account to God, in full) relays me to who I am now. It has become an eternal struggle of mine lately to just be one with Him. But I know this isn't possible because I am nowhere near perfect. Nevertheless, I believe that since God is omnipotent/omnipresent/omniscient... then I shouldn't have to fold my hands and close my eyes in order to talk to him. I’ve made it something of significance to format my prayer routine so that my prayer has no routine or format... so that I can just think, and know that God is with me at each and every moment. So far, it's been great. So many things (temptation, sin, selfishness) are easier to overcome when you think about "shielding" (for lack of a better word) the Holiness of God from the filth that dwells on our depressed planet. It's almost embarrassing to be with him when you’re friend curses, or when violence and hatred reenact their desires through the thoughts and voices of other people, or even when you're watching television and you come across a show that's only true purpose is to satisfy the selfish desires of the viewing audience. I don't know... it's a crazy thought, being so close to God. But I guess you could call me crazy, other people do. I’m proud to say that I have remained steadfast in my beliefs and now more than ever can feel God’s calling in my life.