No matter what obstacles someone is going through or has been through, change is not impossible. It’s also never too late for it either. Eric is proof that what happened in the past no longer matters and the only thing that does is where you are now. Not that the past is meaningless or anything because it does make you the person you are now, in this case for the better, but you don’t need to be living in it. If you know Eric now but you didn’t back then, you wouldn’t believe how he was or any of the things he has done. He is a completely different person now. He found God, and is committed to him. He now believes that God is the only reason why he changed, but Eric definitely had something to do with this change.

"I'm surprised he's not dead yet." That can kind of give someone an idea of the old Eric. I heard that from someone who's known Eric for multiple years and the person who told me that was completely serious. Eric is the definition of a bad teen. He was even as bad as some adults. He used to party every weekend, even on school nights he would go out. He would miss school the following day, but he didn't care. When he partied he didn’t go and hangout. He would go and drink, do drugs, and mess with girls. Eric has told me and others before that he has tried almost every type of drug out there. From weed, to mushrooms, to ecstasy, and many others. He was also a heavy drinker. Doing many dumb things, and not remembering any of it. At one party he took his wallet out and was handing out money, at least three hundred dollars. He also got into it with the wrong people. For a while he was in a gang. One night, he knocked out a member of another gang. The person he hit knew who he was, and him and his friends went looking for Eric with guns. He has been in numerous car accidents due to drinking and driving. The worst he's gotten out of those accidents is a shoulder dislocation, once. There are many more things that Eric has done but with that alone it makes complete sense when people say they are surprised that he's not dead yet.

Eric was doing all of these things and there was a big problem. The problem wasn't the things he was doing. It was that he was doing all of these things and no one cared. No cared enough to help him, to help him change and be better. When I asked Eric why he was the way he was his answer was, “I was seeking comfort through anyone, and wanting to feel like I belonged to something.” That the people he was hanging out with were his comfort zone, and that's where he felt safest. He felt like he needed to be there. In order to not feel or be left out. Eric, in the blink of an eye became a completely different person. He grew a strong relationship with God. When I asked him why he changed, his answer was almost the same. He replied that it feels like he belongs where he is now and that the people from church are his new family.

The "new" Eric is the complete opposite person of the old Eric. Not everything about him changed though. There are still things about him that are the same. He is still ten times more competitive than anyone one I know, he still loves sports, and he still likes to joke around like the old Eric which isn't at all bad. God just refreshed his head, it's like he put a different one on his shoulders. Instead of partying on the weekends, he goes to church. He goes to bible study and youth group throughout the week instead of doing the childish things he used to. One thing he likes to do now is help people out with whatever they need. If someone is going through a tough time he's there to help out, to preach, pray, and talk to. That’s a big difference between the new and old him. The old him was all about himself and the new one is everyone else before himself.

Eric proved many people wrong and his story is amazing. It could and should inspire everyone who thinks that the hole they dug themselves into is too deep and believe they can't get out of it. No burden that you carry is too great. Anyone can turn their life around it just takes mental strength, and persistence. He can give all the credit he wants to God, because he is the reason Eric is still here, but Eric did do a lot of this himself. He decided to become the person he is at this time, and his experience is unbelievable to every single person he tells. He's done good things and with God by his side he will continue to do even more.