In our “Stories of Hope” series, we’re sharing stories of salvation, life-change and God at work in the lives of Living Hope. Griffin Coffey shares how he pursued all of the world’s pleasures in college, but ultimately found peace and satisfaction in pursuing Christ.
“Growing up, my parents always took me to church in hopes of making us better people for it. But like any kid, I was rebellious and hated going to church. My sister and I would often fight or act out on Sundays, making it easier for my parents to just stay home. I always knew about Jesus but never had a deeper understanding of church other than something we did on Sundays, Christmas and Easter.
“In middle school, I attended some Young Life events, mostly because everyone else was doing it and they had fun activities like trips to Great Wolf Lodge or playing basketball and football. It was more about the social aspect than anything spiritual for me.
“When I came to WKU for college, I joined a fraternity, lured by its reputation as a party school. Freshman year was all about living the party life, though I had a long-distance girlfriend, which kept me from going completely wild. Still, I was drinking a lot, spending my time and money on the wrong things, and not living faithfully.
“A year and a half into my sophomore year, one of the seniors invited me to a Bible study he was holding in our fraternity basement. This was a room we normally used for parties, but on Wednesday nights, he would set up a couch and lead a Bible study. It was pretty surface-level, but I started attending every week, and despite the fact that I was still living for the world my curiosity was piqued and I began asking questions about the trinity and God’s forgiveness, wanting to know more.
“One day, while waiting in line at Fresh, I struck up a casual conversation with a guy named Hunter, who noticed my soccer hoodie. We talked about soccer, and I didn’t realize at the time that he was a pastor. A couple of weeks later, Hunter led the Bible study at our fraternity, and we recognized each other from Fresh. He invited me to Living Hope, and I started going on Wednesdays and Sundays, sitting alone in the balcony. I was still going out and partying, but I always felt a sense of peace whenever I was at church. It was just a calm and peaceful place where I could go to find true rest.
“Slowly, I became more curious about faith. One day I was in the truck by myself on a long road trip listening to the Bible App and the story of Peter denying Jesus struck a chord with me. This was someone who was following Jesus and he turned his back on him. I realized I’ve definitely turned my back on God throughout my life. That’s when it clicked that even though I’ve done that, Jesus loves me and died for me. I realized my need for Him. It was a turning point where I understood that my life was vain without Jesus, and I wanted place my faith in him and I was baptized that fall.
“By the summer of my junior year, I had been baptized for nearly a year but wasn’t fully walking with God. I stopped cursing as much and started addressing sin in my life. But that summer, I broke up with my girlfriend, my dad got cancer, and I was really down. I turned back to drinking and just hit rock bottom. I went to a bar one night, one thing led to another and I ended up making a bad decision with a woman who wasn’t my wife. I was so disgusted with myself and realized how truly broken I was.
“I was living alone, and although I was playing shows at bars and parties on the weekends, I felt alone and ashamed as the devil often likes to make us feel. I didn’t even sleep in my own bed because I didn’t think I deserved it. I was punishing myself and sleeping on the couch. The only place I found even border-line peace was when I was reading my Bible. One night I had a dream to read Psalm 51. I woke up and read it and it was about David grieving his sin when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He was disgusted with himself and asked God to give him a clean heart and that was how I was feeling. I realized I was wrestling with guilt and needed to trust God’s promises of forgiveness and redemption.
“As I started trusting God, I understood the weight of my sins and the importance of obedience. I saw how living for God brought purpose and peace. I became the president of my fraternity and began leading the Bible study sharing my testimony hoping I could share the peace and hope I had found in Christ with others in similar situations.
“Now, I see the world’s way doesn’t work. Finding God changed my life, and I use my experiences to connect with others and share the gospel. I was once living for the world, following my flesh, and living out earthly desires, which led to brokenness. From that, I had the choice to follow God, and I chose Him. Since making that decision, I have really felt God at work in every aspect of my life. Even in struggles and hard times I have joy knowing that God is with me.”