I'm an American revert from Philadelphia

I'm an American revert from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. I'm 30 years old and my parents were raised Catholic, but I had no religious upbringing.

I read the bible at age 14 and found a lot of contradictions that lead me to believe that there was no God. I thought it was a fabricated story created to control the actions of simple minded people who would believe anything their rulers told them to believe. Why would God need a son? And if He had a son, why would he send him to die for our sins? Only we can be responsible for our actions.

Based on those beliefs alone there would be no need for religion. So I turned away from Christianity, and believed myself to be atheist until I was 20 years old.

When I was 20, I checked myself into rehab for abusing my anxiety medication. Through the course of withdrawal I had a realization that there has to be a God, just not one depicted by Christians. After my two week stay, I started researching religions and still couldn't find anything that I felt was right. It wasn't until I was 27 that I found Islam. I was pregnant, confused, and alone until I met the first Muslim I ever knew in my life. He showed me a kindness I've never seen in human beings before. He was also the first non family member male I met in my adult life that didn't try to treat me like an object or even attempt to flirt with me. I started to ask questions and he answered them to the best of his knowledge. Right before Ramadan of 2012, his family gifted me an English translation of the Quran and I started reading. I read at work, I read in bed, I read almost every moment I was awake that I had free time. I have never in my life felt the kind of emotion I felt while reading Quran. I was happy, and full of joy. But at the same time terrified and crying about my sins. I feared God for the first time in my life, and it filled me with hope and calmness. Three weeks after my daughter was born, at the age of 28, I took shahada and have been working towards being a good Muslim since. I am a completely different person than I was two years ago and I thank God everyday for guiding me to Islam and choosing me to be a Muslim.

My life is complete now. It took me 14 years, but I finally found what I was searching for.All praise to Allah!