I say very confidently that I had lived a peaceful life. My parents, from before I was even brought into this planet have worked extremely hard to make sure that my brother and I lived the best life we possibly could. I note this because it's important to say that while I have experienced my share of dark seasons and struggles in my life, there is not part of my mind that does not understand the blessed life I lived. I’ve been privileged enough to travel many parts of our country, I’ve been surrounded by what seems like a never ending amount of family and friends, I’ve gotten to try the best foods on the planet, and play sports with friends that I have built lifelong relationships with. Happiness indescribable by English takes up the overwhelming majority of my memories up until this moment, but only recently have I come to understand what my true bliss and peace is brought by.
I was brought up in a family that has always identified as “Christian,” but it has never been instilled in my early life that it should be a priority to me. I have parents that I would say hold pretty strong morals and generally I would call good people. I was lucky enough to have a friend, Bryan, who has always kept me close though, and I would credit a lot of what I will explain shortly.
Navigating faith for people who were not brought up in the church can very often be a challenging thing. It's something I’ve known for years was important, however the level of understanding I needed to fully grasp everything that it could bring me is something I did not come into until very recently. Back on the 11th of this March, I attended a young adults event called “One and All,” in San Dimas. The event is similar to any Sunday service, consisting of worship, a sermon, time for prayer and baptisms, and then more worship. (In that order) One and All was an event like no other, more intimate than any other church event I have ever been to. The seats were as close to one another as you could get while remaining comfortable; and the stage was placed high enough for everyone to see while being low enough for everyone to feel like they were still in the show. As the night began, my favorite worship song was performed, “Praise,” and immediately I could feel His presence in the room. The singing instantly transformed from watching the worship team perform a song, to everyone in the crowd of over 600 combining their voices into one for the Lord. The harmony of strangers, made into brothers and sisters by something bigger than DNA, filled the room and pushed out the weight of my life in that moment.
I would like to note once more that my life has truly been blessed to escape any large tragedies; however seeing as I am human, I deal with much of the same stresses and anxieties that everyone else has in their day to day. My senior year of high school has been a more challenging year of my life, and having struggles with college, basketball, friends, and everything else in between has stacked its way into a weight I could not shake.
After having a surreal experience hearing my favorite song sung in person at One and All, we received a beautiful message about the indiscriminately stubborn love of Jesus. The passion and genuine words spoken on His behalf touched my heart in a new way I had not felt in a while. I have been lucky enough to have found myself in a great community since around December, joining a small group, becoming more involved in my church, and overall finding friends centered around Christ. Upon the ending of the sermon, came a time for prayer. Like many services, the church offered people who were willing to lead whoever wanted in an act of prayer. Although I felt it in my heart to walk up to the front of the stage and ask for help in my prayer, I simply did not have the courage to walk up with my collection of broken pieces in front of strangers. Though some may call it a coincidence, I believe it was by God’s providence that one of the friends in my small group asked me if I wanted prayer.
Carine, someone held close to my heart, began to speak over my life as if she had been personally insulted by the thoughts I placed on myself in my head. As she brought me to our Fathers feet, I felt the warmth of a childhood blanket surrounding me. One by one, Clarissa’s hand, Claire’s hand, Mattew’s hand, Brooklyn’s hand, and most notably the love and warmth of the Father came over me. My vision had been overcome by my bliss turned to tears, and I felt lighter in that very moment. It was this time that reinforced the importance of Christ, but also taught me the meaning of walking with Christ alongside a community.
I walked out of the chapel renewed and refreshed. Picture a time when you were younger, and you were holding something too heavy, and suddenly before you could notice who it was, your dad or your mother came and lifted the weight from your hand. Exactly like this, I no longer had my wrists being pulled towards the floor, and I could not help but smile. It has become ever apparent to me that doing life in a way that is meaningful is living my life with Christ. Living my life with people on their walks was a true community, and is no longer negotiable. By no means have I moved on from my old friends, and not even in the slightest do I believe a shared faith is any type of prerequisite for being a friend of mine; but now more than ever God has shown me his love is what I need. This experience has set a precedent for happiness, and to reutter for the last time: I have lived a happy life. However, no single moment can trump the purest joy that hugs me when I am with my community at the feet of the lord.
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