But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
As a young child, I grew up in the church. My mom and dad began attending my current church several years before I was born, and, as soon as they could, my parents enrolled me in the children ministry program. From birth through second grade, I attended the Sunday morning children classes. There, I memorized Bible verses, read Bible stories, and applied my learning in small group activities and crafts. Once I reached third grade, I continued to attend these classes on Sunday mornings, but I also became involved in a Wednesday program called Breakout. During the two hour Wednesday sessions, I participated in energizing worship, a large group teaching, and small group. Small group was a place in which I had a consistent leader who pursued my relationship with the Lord, and she guided me in my progression in relationship with Him. With the others in my group, we memorized scripture and developed relationships with one another.
Upon my transition into middle school and eventually high school, I also transitioned into the student ministry of the church. The middle school group was called Amped, and the high school group was called Narrowpath. For announcements, games, and worship middle and high school students were together as one large group. For the teaching and small group time, the middle and high school students were separated. This was the first time in which I had a youth pastor, and the content and gathering schedule was more mature. My small group during my years as a member of Amped was rarely consistent, but, upon entering high school I was placed into a small group in which would have some of the most influential individuals in not only my faith but also on my personal development. I will talk more about that later, but first I want to talk about my baptismal experience!
The denomination I associate with in the realm of Christianity is non-denominational, and within this denomination people do not baptise their children as infants. Instead, as a young child, your parents dedicate you to the Lord. The child is baptised when they are ready to personally accept Christ as the Lord. For me, I accepted Jesus at the age of 8, and I was baptised outside in the pond in front of my church. I don’t remember everything from this special day, but there was one aspect of my baptism that I will never forget: the rainbow cloud. I remember it being my turn and walking into the cool pond water. Pastors of my church were waiting for me in the shallow of the pond, and I grabbed their outreached hands and turned to face my parents and others from the congregation present as I proclaimed my faith. I talked through the declaration of my faith with the pastors there beside me, and, upon my declaration, I was dunked beneath the water. I came up with a huge smile on my face and looked up at the sky. There above me and the others that were baptised that day was one singular cloud that was rainbowed. Surrounded by white fluff was this cloud complete with the rainbow spectrum, and it was then that I knew God would be forever with me. His subtle but bold presence that day is something I will never forget. His power and beauty was on display, and he displayed it in such a majestic way.
Despite being baptised when I was 8, I will honestly say that I did not make my faith my own until the beginning of my high school career. Yes, I attended church weekly, more than weekly actually. I was involved in small groups and volunteer work, but I didn’t develop an intimate and personal relationship with Him until a traumatic event happened at the conclusion of my eighth grade year. My feet began causing me a lot of pain in my eighth grade year, so my parents took me in to see a specialist. The pediatrician said that I had extra bone growth on the sides of my feet that was deforming both of my feet and causing me pain; therefore, a surgical procedure was necessary. In May of 2015, I had my first surgery, and this was the beginning of a very long recovery. I had to have 4 different surgeries on my feet, and these involved months of crutches, surgical boots, pain, and physical rehabilitation. As an active individual, being laid up brought me great distress, and I went through the grieving process. I was upset with God for being in the situation I was, but, despite my frustration and grief, I sought Him more. Because physical activity was a no-go for me and television was not what I was really interested in, I decided to read, and I read the Bible. It was when I actually opened my Bible and began to figuratively digest the word that I truly saw God’s love, affection, and care for myself. I began to make deeper relations at my church, and my faith became a fire.
The fire in which my faith ignited grew even greater throughout my high school career, and it began with the small group leaders I was assigned to my freshman years. My small group leaders were intentional and actively pursued my heart. They held me accountable for my words and actions, and they challenged me to actively live out my faith. Through this, I became involved in outreach to areas around Wisconsin, Chicago, Mexico, and Alaska. Additionally, I developed a student leadership team for the youth group, and I became a leader and emcee for the Wednesday youth group gatherings, annual large group retreats, and service trips. I also volunteered my time in the Children’s Ministry on Sunday mornings as a small group leader and classroom teacher for elementary students.
I will be honest, it was not easy to seek God in all moments of my high school career. Peer influences made it difficult as well as the stress and busyness of my personal schedule. But, God has never left my side. I can recount many times in which He made his presence known to me in times when I didn’t even Him and when I did. He has guided me in my academic and personal success, and he has been so graceful and merciful towards me; so much more than I deserve.
Now, as a college student, I am continuing my faith and growing it. I set aside some time in my mornings to be present with him in prayer and scripture, and I have continuously seen his hand in my academic and personal life. I am beginning to form my Christian community here on campus through my involvement in CRU and a Bible study, and I pray each day that He will display himself through my words and actions so that I can make a difference in the lives of the people I interact with throughout my days.
I encourage you to consider your faith and what it looks like because, from experience, having God actively a part of my life is essential. He is why I am where I am today and why I have accomplished what I have accomplished. He is for everyone, and He wants everyone to seek him no matter their conditions. I hope my story has reached and inspired you!
