Stage One – Childhood

God saved me, adopted me into His family, and completely transformed my life. He set me free from sin and taught me so much about Christianity, leadership, and serving others. I participated in many Christian and charity missions, eager to do good and be the best I could be.

But somewhere along the way, I slipped into lukewarmness, becoming a moderate Christian. My faith was real, but it wasn’t burning hot. Still, God’s hand was on me.

I faced challenges early on, like losing my job because of evangelism. But even then, I got another so here were not so deep challenges until I failed to see him clearly. This stage was filled with learning, growing, and discovering my spiritual identity, so I call it Childhood.

Stage Two – Challenge

Marriage brought a whole new chapter of life, but also a wave of challenges.

We faced financial struggles, job loss, and the loss of our Dubai visa. We immigrated to Germany, where I had to learn a new language. Because of my accent and broken German, people often treated me like a child. It felt like we were soldiers in a battle fighting many wars, but without a Commander’s voice. At times, it seemed like God had left us alone.

On top of that, we faced difficulties with our son—no school would keep him. Trusting that God would take care of us, we left Germany and moved back to Dubai. But Dubai, too, brought its own struggles. The city was still recovering from the COVID crisis, and our finances felt like a prison.

I call this stage Challenge, because that’s what it was—relentless, stretching, and humbling.

Stage Three – Character

Then we clearly heard God say: Houston.

We came to Houston believing God would provide for us from the very first day. And I was right—He did provide. But I was wrong in how I thought He would do it.

I imagined that if a Google or Microsoft employee were sent to another country, everything would be arranged—housing, transportation, finances. I thought, If God is sending us, surely He’ll do the same! I still believe with all my heart that He sent us, but His plan was different.

Instead of a comfortable, smooth transition, God allowed us to go through a season of stretching and refining. My family and I experienced homelessness and joblessness in the U.S. We didn’t know our next steps. Yet during that time, He strengthened our spiritual muscles in ways comfort never could.

There were people God used in wonderful ways during this season to meet our needs. And not one day of our homelessness was spent without a roof over our heads or shelter for our family. He cared for us every single day.

I remember one moment when we laid everything we owned on a table—certificates, car keys, wallets, driver’s licenses. We said, Lord, it’s all Yours. And in that quiet moment, I sensed Him say: I am going to give you a great gift.

I didn’t know then that the greatest gift He had for us was Himself.

No, we didn’t live the so-called “American Dream” that many think is the ultimate success. But we met the Great I Am in the middle of our need. The Alpha and the Omega. The Lamb of God.

To this day, I have not seen Him face to face, but I have experienced Him in my life. I seek Him, He speaks to me in my quiet times, and I’ve seen His words come to pass.

Conclusion – Fully His

In this Character stage, I’ve learned the importance of spending quiet, quality time with the Lord so He can direct our path. This is the most beautiful stage He has brought me to—from Childhood, through discouraging Challenges, to the Character-building phase.

Following Jesus means also following Him to the cross—to die to our selfish desires and let Christ live in us. To decrease from self so that He can increase.

My encouragement to you is this: be willing to die to yourself and to your own plans, and let Him use you, move through you, and direct you. Following Jesus is not 99.9999991%—it’s 100%. Either He is Lord of all in our lives, or He is not Lord at all. Let’s give Him everything and walk this journey together.

Even in our ministry today, we have so many great ideas. But we constantly lay them down because we want Him—not us—to be the Head of the ministry. We don’t want to simply do good works for the sake of charity; we want to follow His leading.

The good news is this: God wants all of us to grow. From walking with Him in spiritual Childhood, through the Challenges, and into the place where Christ is shaping our very character, until He fully lives through us.

How to Hear Clearly from the Lord

This is my experience that I’d like to share: apart from your Bible reading and prayer, I encourage you to have a quiet time where you intentionally invite Him to speak, and then journal what you hear.

Invest in this time—it will shape your entire day. When you slow down enough to listen, you’ll find that He is ready to guide, correct, and encourage you. This simple habit has been one of the most powerful keys in my walk with the Lord.