Chelsea's Story

By Chelsea Eubank

 

My story at the end of the day is about life, love and how faith can bring you joy.  Like so many people, I have experienced tremendous losses and faced challenges.  But from those losses came inspiration and from those challenges came determination. To say I am excited to share my story would be the biggest understatement in the world.

 

 

Please read and share my story.

 

My name is Chelsea and I am 20 years old. I guess the only way I know how to witness is to just tell the story of my journey to faith.

 

When I was in high school I was like a lot of other girls I knew. I went shopping all of the time and took great pride in being known as one the best-dressed girls.  I even had a little business on the side helping my friends shop and figure out their style. My mom took me to church but one thing was for sure--I didn't think a lot about God or Jesus.
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Dealing with Grief

Little did I know how my life was about to change very quickly my junior year in high school. Within five months, three members of my family would be taken from me.  In quick succession I lost my uncle, my maternal grandmother, and my dad.  I was reeling from all of this loss, but for some reason I never believed that God did this to me.  Then within two years I lost my last two grandparents—I was very close to both of them and was used to seeing them every week.

 

In the middle of this terrible time, I began to see God at work in my life.  Just before my dad passed away, I was overwhelmed with the urge to call him.  I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to call him.  So I did what every kid is never allowed to do, I called from my dad from my cell while driving.  My grandmother answered and went to get my dad who had just walked into the house. All of a sudden I heard screaming and crying and was told I had to quickly hang up the phone. I learned later that night that my dad had died. That night I lay in bed and thought that, of all the minutes in all the days in a week that I would call my dad, it would be when he was having his heart attack. I felt such peace knowing that even as my dad was dying, he knew that I was thinking about him because of that phone call. I felt like God had given me an incredible gift of reaching out to my dad at that very moment.

 

Following my dad’s death, I went to visit my grandmother who was so sad after losing both her sons.  While I was there, my grandmother had a heart attack. Once again, the knowledge that of all the minutes in all of the days that I would be there for her and she knew that she was never alone was when I truly came to Christ.

 

Like a lot of teens, I faced a crossroads in my life. I was devastated by these losses but I had to choose down which path I would go.  I could rebel and turn to drugs and alcohol.  I could form a hard shell around my heart to prevent experiencing future pain.  I could be angry and shake my fist at God.  Or I could surrender and recognize that I’m not in charge of the universe.  That is not to say that I was perfect during this time, I was not, but God did hold my heart and my hand and kept me from making terrible choices.

 

In moments of struggle, remember that it is in striving that you will find out what you’re made of.  You’ll discover that when you get to the end of your own resources, God has an abundant supply of encouragement.  And you’ll be better prepared than you could ever have been otherwise to help someone else through their own struggle.

Finding Faith

I was a church-goer for many years before I had a relationship with God.  Going to church was just something that I did.  I didn’t really question it.  I believed in God, but He was a distant reality.  Believing in God didn’t do much to affect the way I lived my life.  It was only after my Dad died that I began to think seriously about God.  Then, as I dealt with the loss of so many others that I loved, I drew closer and closer to God.  I found that I could trust Him to give me comfort and strength when I needed it.  After my dad died, I was so grateful to have my Heavenly Father.  Because of what Christ did for us I knew would see my dad again in heaven.

 

No matter what my future holds, I can have peace in the midst of any trial.  If you’ve had people fail you or leave you, you can trust that God will always be there for you.  Sharing the joy that God has given me is the mission of my life and at the heart of Faithful Fish.

About Faithful Fish

Live-Work-Play-Pray

 

Four years ago, I was a 17-year-old high school student who wanted to express her faith at school.  I searched Christian stores, the mall and the Internet but never found the stylish, quality, well-fitting apparel I was looking for.  After searching and searching, I decided I needed to create what I wanted for myself.

 

I sat in my room for hours drawing different designs to put on polo shirts, T-shirts and hats.  I had never done artwork before, but my passion for the project seemed to unlock new abilities.  Once I had a few sketches, I began to think about creating a name for my company.

 

I decided to call my company “Faithful Fish.”  Today Faithful Fish is available to anyone who wants to express the joy of wearing their faith.  I want to see Faithful Fish as a main stream clothing line just like any other label out there.

 

From the very beginning of Faithful Fish, I knew that I wanted to donate a portion of my profits to Christian ministries.  Turning Faithful Fish into a revenue generator for ministry has been one of the biggest blessings of owning my own business.

 

I hope this brand allows you to show and share your joy in being a Christian.

About Wear-It-Wednesday

Share your faith without saying a word.

 

A Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) leader once shared with me that some public school systems in the country were trying to ban FCA’s morning huddle (meeting). The idea that young people would not be allowed to meet and share their faith and joy just seemed so wrong. 

 

From that conversation came the vision for a youth campaign that would encourage students to express their faith in schools.  As a young Christian entrepreneur and founder of the clothing line Faithful Fish, I understood that clothing is one of the few media available to youth and teens to express their faith at school.  I created Wear It Wednesday to encourage young people to use the medium of their clothing to convey their love for God.    

 

The “Wear It Wednesday” campaign encourages students to wear their favorite Christian shirt (Christian band, FCA, youth group, etc.) to school on the first Wednesday of each month.  The initial goal of the “Wear It Wednesday” campaign is to have 500,000 students log on to www.wearitwednesday.com and register their intention to  “wear their faith” on the first Wednesday of each month.  Students can then take pictures of themselves and their friends wearing their faith-branded shirts and post them to the Wear It Wednesday website to encourage and inspire others.  I believe “Wear It Wednesday” can show the nation that Christian young people are a community that is both excited and proud about the importance of faith in our lives.

chelsea@faithfulfish.com