Take it as you might

In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. ~Blaise Pascal

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul. ~Author Unknown

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~Martin Luther King Jr.


* I don't buy the idea that there is no God. How can you explain natural beauty as just chemical reactions and science?"

I was confirmed about a year ago by the Catholic Church. It was a especially trying time this year due to the fact it was the first year, in probably five that I didn't go to an Ash Wednesday service. I'm not a super Catholic and would never feign to be. But, due to certain life events (the death of two friends and two grandfathers I was very close to, and small epiphanies along the way) I have come to appreciate faith. Coincidentally going to a Baptist affiliated college was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I didn't particularly enjoy going to Baptist services. I felt a lot of times there was a rift between those who were "Bible beaters" trying to beat God into you, those who didn't practice a religion, and those who said they were religious yet partook in underage drinking, sex and other things not very Christian like. Hypocrisy is easily most evident when studying those who label themselves as devout, practicing Christianity...Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions of those radical enough to persecute those who are non religious are just as bad.

I believe that faith is something that can't be visibly shown, nor should you singing songs at the top of your lungs and going to religious student groups make you any more devout than the person who prays quietly in their room.

I do feel that school at Wingate helped me to feel it was OK to be religious. I honestly admire those who are true to their religion. Those who do not make others feel bad that they don't practice or are not as devout. It takes a lot of courage. A lot of my teachers may not have been religious, or maybe they were and I didn't know. Whatever the case I feel that having religion as a small part of my formal education gave my schooling a special feeling. I felt the teachers knew they had a purpose, they weren't just doing this for the money or prestige. There was a mission to give their knowledge to those willing to take the challenge. Part of that challenge is discovering who you are. Knowing yourself. Hopefully I can explain this better one day in the future.


Without faith I don't think that I'd have done half of the things I have done or hope to accomplish. I want to have a nice nest egg but (much to my parent's chagrin) money for me isn't everything. Basically I want to help people. You can't take money with you when you die, You don't really even take memories. But if you leave people with a legacy, then you truly have succeeded.
























Why would God have created mankind if he were only to focus on himself? Helping others, giving of yourself, it's the only way to make you feel whole.