Night and day. I became a new creature in Christ with the focus of my life now being Jesus and living for Him.
Did you find it had a profound effect on your ability to empathize with others and see things from their perspective?
Eventually. It began right away but is still a work in progress. Old habits die hard and it took time but it did happen.
Did it make you less selfish and less antagonistic and did it make you more independent, productive and self sufficient?
Yes.
What were other changes that happened?
What happened almost immediately was that I realized I needed to get a Bible and start reading it and start attending church again. I read the Bible voraciously, just couldn't get enough of it.
Previously, the thought of attending church and reading the Bible would have bored me to tears. Not any more. Now I realize it's how I get to know my Savior better.
Did you ever have the fear of opening the Bible because if you read something you couldn’t follow, then you were damned? Sort of an “ignorance is bliss” type of life. I did. Before I understood the finished work of Christ. What freedom!