Testimony Tuesday: Abiding in the love of the Lord

By Megan Deets

“Following [God’s] way and leaning on His strength is what brings us joy and peace,” Quinn Daum, a senior Cyber Operations major at Cedarville University, said. 

Although Daum knew about God’s love from a young age, she didn’t always have a strong relationship with Him. Though her fiancé now calls her a prayer warrior, just a few years ago she barely spent time with the Lord in prayer and Bible reading.

Because she was saved at such a young age, Daum doesn’t remember a specific moment of conversion.

“I think the seed was planted for sure, but there wasn’t growth,” Daum said. “I don’t think I could really articulate the gospel for a while.”

Her parents were first generation believers who ensured that Daum was raised in church. 

“I was definitely raised with the expectation of church is what we do,” Daum said. 

However, Daum experienced a lot of unhealthy church relationships growing up. For various reasons, she was frequently bullied. The unkind actions and words of the people in her youth group gave her an inaccurate perception of Christianity.

Her parents didn’t require Daum to attend youth group because it became such a negative experience for her.

“My faith wasn’t something comfortable or modelled by the people around me,” Daum said. 

During this time, Daum wasn’t growing in her relationship with the Lord. She didn’t understand what the love of God in action looked like. God and church were things that she had been surrounded by her whole life, but they were just part of her routine. 

In 2020, Daum and her family moved from Idaho to Michigan. The move was really hard on an already struggling high schooler.

“I was honestly really depressed,” Daum said. 

Daum continued to fight against severe depression and suicidal thoughts for several long months. Her life was at an extreme low, but she didn’t know how to handle her struggles. 

“I know that I need to fix something because I was so broken,” Daum said. “But it didn’t occur to me to turn to the Lord.”

In a providential turn of events, a girl who Daum’s sister mentored invited her to come to her youth group. Daum went, and her life began to change. 

“It was my first time being around people who love the Lord,” Daum said. “The way they talked—they just spoke Bible verses, and I was like, ‘Whoa.’”

As Daum began attending youth group frequently, she asked so many questions about theological concepts that her youth pastor noticed something was going on. Along with the knowledge she gained, she absorbed what it actually meant to surrender to the Lord. She saw what real faith looked like, and she began to put her own in action for the first time. 

“It was gentle how the Lord did it, just providing a safe environment, and from that came convictions,” Daum said.

Fellow students at youth group demonstrated genuine biblical qualities. One thing that caught Daum’s attention was the way people dressed. She had struggled with immodesty for a few years, but now she witnessed what modesty truly meant. 

As she grew in her relationship with God, he transformed her heart beyond what she ever imagined. The mental battles she faced through high school seemed to evaporate in the presence of her savior. 

“By the time I was 18, the depression and suicidal thoughts were just gone,” Daum said. 

Even before she solidified her faith, Daum knew that a Christian university would be the most comfortable place for her to be. Familiarity was an especially significant consideration because she has Asperger’s syndrome, a type of autism. As her high school years came to a close, she chose to attend Cedarville. 

As Daum worked on assignments for the Bible and the Gospel class, she desired to practice the spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible reading.

“I wanted to learn more about this God, and I can’t do it without reading His Word,” Daum said. 

Cedarville also provided her with another strong Christian community, blessing her life by surrounding her with more loving believers.

“The Lord has provided people here that I can be real with,” Daum said.

As Daum continued to grow in her faith, she learned how to balance the complexity and simplicity of the gospel. It was only when she understood how much God loves her that she was able to value the gospel as she should.

“As I’ve gotten more mature in the faith, the simplicity of the gospel is more beautiful,” Daum said. “It’s not something that you move on from. It’s the most important thing.”

Throughout her life, the Lord has taught her that he is the source of love and righteousness. 

The words to the hymn “Before the Throne of God Above” remind Daum of these truths: “When Satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there who made an end to all my sin.”

“I’m clean and following the Lord because of what Jesus has done for me, and I can rejoice,” Daum said. “He has always loved me.”

Megan Deets is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student. Some of the things that she loves are new notebooks, fresh fruit and musicals.