The Path Thus Far...

Man, it's kind of crazy to post 2 times in one day, but I have the rough draft done of this paper, so I'm gonna insert it in here. =)

I think I could have wrote way more than 1000 words on this subject, and I feel like I was just getting to the good stuff when I had to stop, there are so many people and instances I could have talked about, but hey I can't complain about a short assignment yeah? =)

The path thus far...

Unlike some, what I like to call my “life of faith”, for lack of better expression, didn’t start when I was a young child. I never really attended church services as a small child, and it wasn’t until the September 11th tragedy happened that I started doing so. Even then, it almost seemed forced. My Mom thought it would be a good idea to go, so I did. I vaguely remember those services now. I do remember that the church we decided to attend, seemed more like a money-seeking church, than a God seeking church. That is really the only thing I remember about it, so something wasn’t right. We went every Sunday for a little while, and then just stopped. Offended by the ways of that church, I assumed most would be the same, and rather than finding a new one, I stopped going all together. ....

I never really thought anything of it, and continued on with my life. I find it important to note that I still believed in God with all of my heart, but I think I was just lost. I spent a few years that way. I prayed that I would find direction, that God would help me with my relationship with him and that I would be able to draw closer to His way, and to fulfilling His plan. I think I expected results right away, and I didn’t think I was getting them, yet continued to pray. Looking back now, I know that I was getting results, they were just in ways that I wasn’t noticing. I have big dreams of moving to Nashville after school to pursue a job in the music industry. That being said, I visit the city as much as I can. It is through that dream and that city that I met a few people that would forever change the way I thought about Faith. ....

One of those influential people was my friend Lauren. I met her through another friend, and can remember noticing how great of a person she was from the first time I met her. I’ve always found the saying that a person “just lights up a room when they walk in” , to be terribly corny, but Lauren really is one of those people. She nearly always has a smile on her face, and has such confidence in her Faith, and is never afraid to share that with other people. I think that drew me to her. A key moment for me came on my 21st birthday. I won’t go into details, but being a typical 21st, there was drama involved. I can remember being wrapped up in the middle of a mess, upset, and scared. Lauren was in the room with me, and she got out the Bible and just started reading. I think I laughed at first and asked her “you’re really reading the Bible right now, why?”, and she just responded, “yes! I think we need God right now”. That has stuck with me, and it was in that moment that I realized that I do need God’s presence in my life, in every moment: every struggle, every joy or concern, every moment. She probably doesn’t even remember that, but it was a moment that changed my life. I don’t think there is anyway of repaying someone for that kind of gift. We don’t talk much anymore, but I truly believe that her friendship was a gift from God. There’s a song lyric that says: “Anyway You wanna show me
all Your glory anywhere You choose to speak tell Your story…”. In that sense, I think He used her as a tool to do just that.....

Speaking of music, the lyric above is from a song called “Anyway” by a group, Point of Grace. Another friend of mine, Jessie, introduced me to this group, and there music has really captivated me. Music is such a big part of my life, and when all else seems to fail, I go to it. I often turn to Point of Grace, their music is a constant reminder of how good our God is. For me, in times when I feel completely drained, it is a way to recharge. It was through them that I had my first “point of grace”, no pun intended. I was feeling a little confused about a friendship, and I was so completely overwhelmed with the confusion of the situation, that it was starting to take over a big chunk of my thoughts. I didn’t know what to do, so I prayed about it. I then attended a Point of Grace concert, and it was there that those prayers were answered. I truly felt his presence and his grace surround me. I was able to learn a lot about the friendship that night, and I began to see it for what it was. I could feel a huge weight being lifted off of my shoulders. It was truly an amazing feeling, that brought me to tears.....

To put it simply, I am a Christian, and a true believer. God is good. I feel like I still have so much to learn, and I want to continue to work on giving myself to Jesus. I want to get to the point where I am not worried about the future, because He has a plan for all of us, and I have to learn to completely trust in that plan, and never question it. I now go to church every Sunday, and not just to go, but to work on that relationship with Him. I see God’s work everyday, and I thank him for every moment. I have never liked having religion pushed down my throat, and I will never push it down anyone else’s. God finds a way to share his grace with us. For me, he used music to connect me to people, and he continues to everyday. My biggest hope is that God will use me as a tool in other people’s lives, and that he will use every part of me to spread His Glory and His Word. I’ll end with one final lyric, also by Point of Grace: “all the world is a horizon, all the world a field of dreams, all the world is an open doorway, all the world is a place for me, to be your voice, to be your touch, to give an answer, to show you love, to hold out hope, to offer peace, to shine your light, for everyone to see, in all the world.” THAT is how I want to live my life, on His stage.


l-o-v-e.