Growing up, when it came to religion, I was raised as Roman Catholic. I received all my sacraments such as Baptism, Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation. I also had the honor of becoming a godparent to my nephew which is someone who is supposed to help guide you in your faith. I was very honored to become a godparent and ever since then I always wanted to know more about my faith in the Catholic religion. I was also very inquisitive when I would go to faith formation Monday nights to study for confirmation. I really enjoyed all my religion teachers because they were very informative about my religion and faith. They also taught me the importance of going to church and being involved in the church community.

Unfortunately, after I received confirmation, my senior year started, and I started to drift away from the church. It's four years later and I met my boyfriend who went to a private Catholic high school and then went to college to major in religion! I thought it was such a cool thing to major in something so interesting and important! Dating someone who took religion in college has really opened my eyes to my faith and has taught me how important my faith is.

One of the first things that come to mind that my boyfriend has opened my eyes to is how important religion really is. When you practice your faith regularly you get used to knowing why religion is important. However, if you tend to drift away from the church or your religion every couple of years it can be very hard to stick to your faith. Someone who is educated on the faith will help open your eyes as to why continuing with your faith after confirmation (in the catholic faith) is very important.

I've also learned about other religions through conversations with my boyfriend. I feel that in the society we live in we can tend to only think in one box and I was never super educated on other religions. When I met my boyfriend, he educated me on other religions and customs which really opened my eyes and I had an even bigger appreciation for my own religion after learning all the ins and outs of it.

I've also learned a lot about perspective and consistency. My boyfriend has pointed out to me all the different perspectives and angles from each religion which has shifted my view on certain things. For example, most people will view all Christains as Catholic. However, that is not the case. There are some forms of Christianity that believe in the same God and Jesus but their customs differ from what Catholics practice in church. It's not always OK to normalize all Christains as Catholic because they are not practicing the exact customs. I also learned why it is very important to have consistency when practicing religions. It is a very private aspect of life and it is up to you to keep that path of your faith by keeping consistency.

Learning about all the above has helped me become closer to my god. Sometimes when being educated on certain information it can open your eyes to a new light and guide you back. I've never felt more close to my faith now that I was able to learn more about it.