It was a turning point in my life. I was about 19 and was involved in heavy drinking and promiscuity—and had become alienated from my family. Although I'd learned about God's love as a child, I'd chosen the life of a prodigal—"wasting my substance with riotous living." See Luke 15:13. All I felt now was pain and loneliness. Once, I even tried to commit suicide.
As I thought through the events in my life, I felt I'd broken all Ten Commandments, including the one that says "Thou shalt not kill," because I'd had an abortion. I remember sitting alone in my bedroom in tears, grieving over all the mistakes I'd made. I was heartbroken.
Then, suddenly, a calm feeling swept over me, and I felt the touch of God. It was as if God were telling me that She/He loved me—completely, wholeheartedly —so much so that I felt I could begin again in a new direction.
