I remember when I was in grade two, my teacher once told us that praying to God for good marks and not trying our best would not result in achieving good marks. During our toughest times, we rely on God in hopes of a better turnout, but why wouldn't we pray to him during our best times as well?
I am an only child, no siblings and no family pets. My dad always tells me that the closest people, aside from my parents, are my cousins from my dad's side and then my cousins from my mom’s side. My parents believe that family are the people who share the same bloodline as us but how can you call those relatives that you only see once every five years, family? What about the other people who have been by your side through thick and thin? What do you call them?
When I was little, I remember believing that church was the place to feel welcomed and loved by others because it is the house of God. We are the children of God that live within God eternally, however, I felt the most frustrated during my high school years. I felt left out at church because I couldn’t find a place where people accepted me for who I was. I felt the need to change myself in order to fit in which escalated to more problems with the friends I made at church. The truth is I cared more about what people thought of me instead of coming to church for the right reasons. Although I have lost a group of friends, I matured as a person and realized that the people we’ve encountered in our life might not be our lifelong friends but they all serve some kind of purpose in our life. Every day is a new lesson, every day is a new day with different possibilities. During my last year of high school, I’ve made amends with the people I’ve hurt unintentionally and reconciled with the people that have given me the support during my toughest times. I am grateful for each and every person I’ve met because without them, I would not be the person I am today. I have made mistakes but the difference between now and the past is that I am able to recognize them and not blame others for my wrongdoings. My friends who’ve been by my side all through my elementary, high school and now university years are my family. Bloodline is not the basic requirement to be categorized as family. It’s the people who love you, cherish you and protect you.
Church may not be my happy place anymore, but emotionally and internally, I feel the most at peace when I go to church. Instead of feeling the need to prove myself to others, I go to church and be the best child I can. I may not be as active as my fellow peers at church but I’m serving God in my own way with love and care. “God helps those who help themselves” and to me, that also applies to others. Our parents and friends can’t help us if we are unable to help ourselves. We go to mass every week because we need God’s teachings as our guide to become a better person, a better catholic. The homilies that our priests give are the words of God but it is our decision whether we listen and take in the advice. God can’t help us if we are unwilling to listen and apply in our daily life. Likewise, the advice from our parents would be useless if we are not willing to listen and reflect on our actions. My dad used to say this, “advice is not welcomed.” As we grow older, our ego kicks in and we begin to believe that we have enough knowledge to live our life but it’s not. We are never too old to learn. Those we say that they have enough knowledge or are too old to learn are not in their right set of minds. There’s no age limit to learn something new. In fact, we are already learning something new when we attend mass. When we read scriptures today in comparison to last year or a few years back, our perspective has changed. The classic tale of turtle and hare is a prime example. When we were little, we might’ve thought that the hare was too egoistic to think that they were going to win because of their natural talent of speed. Now, we might think that the courage and the mindset of the turtle is truly inspiring. Their hard work and dedication have proven their odds and have shown the possibility of being rewarded at the end. Even though it may not be the case for every situation in our life, God is our rock who is always there to listen to us. He is our Father that loves and cares for us the most. Not only is it important to talk to Him during our weekly gatherings, but also it is important to include Him in our daily life. He is the definition of family. He has proven His love by sacrificing his only beloved son to save us our sins. These may be the simplest words to comprehend but they are the most important words that should be reminded daily. No one can prove a greater evidence than God, himself. We are fortunate to live on this earthly world and the possibility to join God afterlife because of Him.
“Fear not for I am with you.” Isaiah 41:10
Comments