Ian Waterson

Ian wondered whether he really had the better life

At the end of grade 10, Ian Waterson met some friends that had a bad influence on him. A formerly well behaved boy, Ian began to drink alcohol and smoke. From there his lifestyle went from bad to worse.

“What started as simply drinking and smoking eventually developed into drug addiction and sexual immorality,” Ian says.

“The worse bit of it all was that deep down I knew that what I was doing was wrong and that if I were to die I would spend eternity without God and without hope.”

During this time, Ian preferred to be with his friends than his own family. Having been raised in a loving Christian home, Ian knew the difference between right and wrong and he knew his behaviour was saddening to his parents.

“I did not enjoy a good relationship with my parents,” he says. “I did not spend much time with them because I felt uncomfortable in their presence.”

As he neared his graduation, Ian planned all the thrilling things he would do when he finally left home. He could not wait to do his own thing and have no one tell him what he had to do in his life.

“I wanted to be independent,” he says. “I wanted to enjoy everything that young people long to have, such as a good job, a good salary, a car and friends.”

This attitude lasted two years and then Ian began to be aware of the emptiness of his life.

“I was watching my sister who was a follower of Jesus Christ and at Bible school,” he recalls. “Even though I seemed to have everything, she had something that I wanted; she had a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Ian now felt that he was being pulled in two different directions. He wanted the life his sister had but could not give up his friends and submit his life to God.

“It was only when I landed in big trouble that I started taking serious stock of my life and ways,” he admits. “Many a day I would lie in bed and think about what I was doing with my life.

“I would work from Monday to Saturday, revel with my friends from Friday night to Sunday night and eventually end up with a headache and a hangover on Monday.”

On his 21st birthday, Ian came to the realisation that living for himself was not making him happy and that he faced a certain eternity in Hell if he did not accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

“I went to visit my sister and asked her to pray with me,” he recalls. “That afternoon I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus with the realisation of who I am (a sinner) and a realisation of who Jesus is (the Saviour).

“I confessed my sin to the Lord Jesus and asked Him to forgive and cleanse me, so I could be His precious child.

“That afternoon I placed my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, thanking Him for what He had done for me on the cross 2000 years ago when He died for our sins.”

From that afternoon till the present day, Ian is no longer attracted to drugs, materialism and power. Instead, he desires to read the Bible and pray, seeking to obey God and follow His commands.

“Through the grace (undeserved love of God) and strength of the Lord I broke ties with my friends and their ways,” Ian says. “After I became a Christian it was just too uncomfortable for us to be around each other.

“In contrast, it’s now a joy and a pleasure to spend time with my parents and I am learning so many spiritual things from them. I am so grateful for such precious parents.”

Ian is aware that Christians are not perfect people and that they can still be tempted, but he has a special Bible verse that helps him stay obedient to God.

“In Joshua chapter 1, verse 8Joshua chapter 1, verse 8, we are told not to let the Word of God depart from our mouth; we are to meditate on it day and night so that we may be careful to do everything written in it; then we will be prosperous and successful.

“Through the Lord Jesus Christ I can accomplish all things because of His power that works within me,” Ian concludes.