Don’t Give Up | A Salt Company Story

God’s word is holy and just. It points us out of sin and carries us to truth, hope, and life. Tyler’s grandmother knew this. She told Tyler to read his Bible when he was a young boy. Tyler started in the book of Matthew. However, what he was reading was difficult to understand. Tyler’s grandmother said to him “Don’t give up.” When he felt like giving up, Tyler’s grandfather passed away. Tyler asked God if he could talk to his grandfather just one more time. Tyler had a dream shortly after that bold request. It was his grandfather sitting down with him asking Tyler “How are you?” Tyler got back to reading his Bible.

Life and circumstances occurred, and Tyler found himself in the middle of it. He stopped reading his Bible. During his Junior year of High School, Tyler was at football practice and before a game, the team’s coach prayed and asked if anyone wanted to give their life to Jesus. Without thinking, Tyler raised his hand and gave his life. Tyler picked up his Bible and started reading it again. Without community and people pointing him back to God’s word, reading his Bible became an afterthought again.

“I had no church and nobody to help me and hold me down and give me advice,” Tyler confessed.

A move to a new state and a graduation from High School brought Tyler to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The first week of school, Tyler walked by a table that had a sign describing the possibility of winning $200 if a survey was filled out. Tyler wanted that money, so he filled it out. He didn’t win but instead was given something better.

“I got a text inviting me to volleyball,” Tyler shared. “There I got connected with the Salt Company. They helped me with my journey. They gave me knowledge. I wouldn’t have gotten far without them. They encouraged me and told me I’m not alone.”

His Freshman year was full of studies and friends and discipleship. Tyler described Salt Co. as

“a family that has treated me with love, kindness, and respect. It’s like they have known you all your life. It’s hard to explain. Salt is that community that will push kindness to everyone. No matter who you are, what you believe, what you think of the church... they will push you to be better than who you are. They show love to everyone.”

This fall, Tyler signed up for their Fall Retreat and expected a fun time. It ended up being pivotal to his understanding of God and His Word.

“At the retreat, we talked about God’s word and what we thought about it,” Tyler explained. “I finally understood everything. It felt like God told me everything and those conversations opened my eyes to how God sees the world. It all gave me an understanding behind the things that I did. As a young man you are taught to use lust and manipulation to get your way with women or friends. I understood I used to use lust to feel better and others like me to feel better. The guys in my group at retreat understood that. I wasn’t the only one with the struggle! I knew that I was not alone and that we can walk in faith together. We don’t have to be a slave to it.”

Tyler came home on fire and has started his life all over again. His desires have changed. His hurts have been healed and his heart has been changed and he hasn’t stopped reading his Bible.

“I’m not trying to be perfect, just close to God,” Tyler described with tenderness. “My trust issues and my tendency to control have been healed. With my background and my family, I found myself trying to make sure everything is in control and perfect. When life and people didn’t go well, I would just shut down. I didn’t talk to anyone, and it led to no communication and a falling out in relationships with friends and family.”

God also helped Tyler with depression. Having little community nor footing in God’s Word led him to feel little to no love. Come to find out, he was lonely. Tyler described his loneliness:

“In my head I thought God didn’t want me because of what I had done. I thought because I wasn’t perfect, I didn’t deserve to be with Him. I now know God doesn’t think like that. Instead, that was the enemy! God knows I want to get closer. He has opened my eyes to come to Him as I am. I don’t have to be perfect. He loves me no matter what.”

This November, Tyler is getting baptized at Midtown and looks forward to the future and feels like nothing can stop him.

“I have a passion to share this journey that God has me on,” Tyler said with joy. “I have fully committed to Him. I know He wants me to get people closer to Him and to plant those seeds of faith. To help others on their journey by helping them to understand their hurts, and what they’ve been through. God wants me to show empathy to them. People who have been hurt have this hurtful past and are trying to find joy in it. They don’t know how to find joy if they go to the worldly things. Anything in the world is temporary and won’t fill that void like Jesus. The only way to joy is Jesus. I want people to see this world as temporary and not good for you. Jesus is good for you. The enemy wants to keep you far away from Jesus by putting a cloak over your eyes. I want as many people as possible to get close to Jesus. I want to plant those gospel seeds. I want people to know that God loves them no matter who and what they have done.”

Tyler is so thankful for Salt Co. and for his friends there. God has used them to point and put Tyler on the path that his grandmother wanted him to be on. His grandmother, as well as his Salt Co. friends, encouraged him to be better and showed him all types of love. Tyler concluded with this encouragement to others who might be on the same lonely path:

“Anyone that is dealing with lust or going through a hard time, just got to push through it. God has you. Don’t let the enemy confuse you especially with the thoughts that you aren’t good enough. God will always love you no matter what. We just must accept His free gift and embrace Him. If God didn’t love you, He wouldn’t have sent his son, Jesus. God knew that the wage of sin is death. The fact that God sent His son, He wanted a relationship with you. God loves you no matter what. For those with lust... it’s the hardest thing to overcome. Focus on God and not the sin. God will help you to hate that sin. It will be in the back and not destroying your life. Stay on the narrow path and don’t sway. Stay in community and your Bible. You will find joy. It will be worth it. Don't give up!”

Find out more about the Salt Company at citylightomaha.org/saltco.