My Life Defined

On October 23rd of 2022, I was baptized. However, my faith journey began way before that. 

As a child, my family attended a local Catholic church on a somewhat regular basis. It became routine to get up early on Sunday, put on our favorite dresses (if you know me, you know that was a hard decision at a young age), and meet Grandma for mass at the chapel. Tuesdays after school were spent at Gram’s where we ate spaghetti for dinner, always paired with chocolate milk, and would then head to our CCD program. 

A large part of my childhood memories are filled with attending mass and CCD classes, preparing for and partaking in the sacraments, and discussing the Holy Trinity. What seems to be missing from those memories, however, was a true relationship with God. 

As the years went by, we started missing more CCD classes, attended mass less and less, until suddenly going to church wasn’t a big part of our lives anymore. Other things, activities, and events became more prevalent in our weekly lives. Attending mass felt more like a routine than a meaningful choice. Attending classes felt like a chore. My relationship with God felt fictional. 

I can vividly remember attending class on Tuesday and being blatantly judged by an adult for asking a genuine question at such a young age. This is the first time I can remember feeling pushed away from my faith. As I grew older, I believed there was something larger than us, but wasn’t sure what to believe or how to trust in someone I couldn’t see. 

At the age of 17, I felt done with the world. I had experienced too many things that I would never wish for someone else to go through. At such a young age, I felt the world didn’t need me anymore if all I was going to experience was pain and hurt. So I made a plan. 

It was in this planning that I received a text from my childhood best friend. At the time we hadn’t spoken much due to growing apart over the years. The text read something along the lines of “I felt like you needed this right now. Love you” and she sent me a verse from the bible: 

“For I consider that these present times are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” - Romans 8:18

It was at that moment that my life was about to change. It was through my best friend that God saved my life. 

My journey to where I am now was not easy, but growth isn’t supposed to be. However, from that moment I choose to truly follow the Lord and accept his gift of salvation. My walk through faith has had many ups and downs. I’m still a sinner. I still struggle with worldly things despite being a proud woman of faith. But I try each day to better myself as a Christian woman. 

That relationship that I felt was missing suddenly started to bloom. I started to pray frequently. I wasn’t afraid to ask questions anymore. It was then that I finally felt like I didn’t have to physically see the Lord to know he’s real. My whole perspective about attending a church service began to change. 

In 2019 my family began attending a new local church. It was clear to us early on that this was our new home. We quickly started serving within the church and developing relationships. In these few short years with my church, I have grown immensely as a young Christian woman. My life has forever changed because of God’s love and those he has brought into my life. 

Over the years, here are just a few ways that accepting God’s love and his sacrifice for us has changed my life:

I have met incredible people: 

• I have made such incredible friends since joining my church. They have been such a light in my life and have supported me through countless difficult times. 

I have been reconnected to music: 

• Growing up, I was in every choir I could be through school. Music has always been incredibly important in my life, and now I get to share that through worship. Serving in the worship collective has been a wonderful way for me to grow in my faith. 

I have fought difficult battles: 

• Between career shifts, unexpected life changes, and the loss of several loved ones, God and my faith in his love has played a major role in allowing me to fight these battles. Talking with him through prayer and speaking with my peers gave me the confidence and support I needed to walk through my fires. 

I get to share my story: 

• On November 8th of 2022, I shared my testimony with my community. I then had the chance to share it again over the Christmas holidays. Sharing my story and the Gospel has been an experience like I could have never imagined. People have shared their similarities with me, asked me questions about God, talked with me about their own battles. Not only have I had these amazing conversations, but I’ve also felt stronger in my faith since taking this scary leap. Talking about the lowest point in your life can be scary! But you never know who needs to hear that they are not alone. 

If you are searching for an answer, a light, a hand to help you up, know there is a God who loves you. There is a God who made you in His image. There is a God who has a plan for you, even if you can’t see it now. There is a God who will strengthen you. All you need to do is believe in Him. All you need to accept is the sacrifice He made for each of us through the death of His only son, who was resurrected to defeat the grave. He took on our sin for us so that we could spend eternity with Him. It’s not the amount of good works you do, nor the amount of prayers you pray. It’s knowing in your heart that He paid it all for us. 

I know this can be a topic that is tough to take in or a decision that isn’t made lightly. Please know my inbox is ALWAYS open!