What are the things that you are willing to let go of to find what really matters? In this article, Angelie shares how she obeyed God and found real treasure in His all-satisfying love and grace.

My boyfriend and I had been living in for over seven years. I was only 16 when I decided to move in with him. After a year of living together, I gave birth to our son, Vince.

Since we were already living under one roof, the idea of getting married never became a priority for us—for me. There was so much love between us, and we were so secure about our feelings for each other that we felt there was no need to validate those feelings by getting married.

But after I had an encounter with Christ, my mindset about the whole thing gradually changed.

I have been attending a worship service for a while, but it was only in July this year that a friend from Victory Santa Cruz preached the gospel to me and helped me know God more. After accepting Christ in my life, I immediately got convicted of my sin and realized how much I was hurting Him. I realized that I was breaking His heart all these years because of my relationship. I also finally understood how precious marriage is. It dawned on me that it is not really about me or my partner. It is not about our love for each other either. It is about Him ultimately.

Wanting to honor God in my relationship, I began to sincerely pray to Him. I wanted to set things right—not in the eyes of men—but in the eyes of my Lord. Right after Victory Weekend, I asked God to move in my life and in the life of the person I love.

Just a month after that, my boyfriend and I got married; we had a civil wedding. I never thought it was possible, and I never thought I would be that happy. Celebrating our renewed union with our son was one of the happiest moments of my life.

I thought God was done working in my life and in my relationship, but I was wrong. After our wedding, my husband also began his journey with Christ. One day, out of nowhere, he asked me to go to church with him. My heart swelled with so much joy knowing how he resisted the idea of going to church in the past. I knew it was God working in his life. He is currently going through ONE 2 ONE  and eagerly desiring to know God more.

I always thought I found a rare treasure when I met my husband and gave birth to our son. I was wrong. My real treasure is Christ. Nothing on earth compares to the all-satisfying love of my Savior—not my possessions, not even my family.

Now, we are both part of our church in Victory Santa Cruz. I am an usher and a Kids Church teacher, and I am also studying again to finish college. It is amazing how things fell into place after I surrendered my life to God. He is my rare treasure.

Indeed, there is more to this life than the things we have or the people we love. God is our ultimate treasure. As we seek Him first, we will see His hand at work in our lives.