Faith. The word itself, according to Webster’s Dictionary, means “complete trust or confidence in something or someone,” which is incredibly broad and causes many questions in itself. I believe that having faith in anything can be one of the hardest parts of life, because nothing on this planet is perfect, and I certainly don’t have complete faith in humans. This is where the idea of faith really comes into play for me: the idea of God.

Growing up, I went to church, read children’s’ bibles, learned about the stories in the Old and New Testament, went to a religious school, and more, but I never really knew what I thought about the idea of religion. While I was raised Christian, my parents never forced me to believe anything specific and wanted me to decide what I felt comfortable with, despite what their beliefs might be, which I am so thankful for to this day. So naturally, I was very curious to learn about what all people believe and more about the Christian faith.

Throughout my life I’ve been exposed to many differing forms and beliefs within Christianity, some of which I like, and some I do not. I’ve been to many different churches involving many different denominations, and done a ton of research on different branches of this faith. I went through a long period of time where I never really knew what I believed, but I always felt like I believed in something. And I almost feel like it was the times where I questioned the existence of any kind of higher power that really helped me believe even more in something greater than myself.

Then one day I went to a church I had never been to before with a friend. I ended up really liking this church, and felt welcomed and comfortable there. It felt like the people there really tried to practice what they were preaching and used their faith as a way to better the lives of others. This was honestly something I had never really felt in a religious establishment before. So I did (more) research on this particular church and really liked what I found. For once it seemed like I found a place that I agreed with most everything they believe, and felt like they would welcome me.

What happened next was something I really didn’t really predict would ever happen in my life: I actually began to establish my faith. I mean sure, I wasn’t opposed to this happening, I just had always felt my whole life that everyone else seemed to have faith figured out and I never would.

So what does faith mean to me? To me, it ultimately means having something to believe in that motivates me to keep going even in the worst times. While I do not claim to have all the answers about faith, and still have a lot of questions, I do believe in God, and I do believe God is constantly looking out for me. One of my favorite Bible verses is Hebrews 13:5, “God has said, ‘never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” One of the most important parts about believing for me is to feel like there is someone beside myself that knows what’s best for me and will always be there for me. I definitely turn to God in my toughest times, and have somehow always felt better in the end, even if I don’t get what I think I need exactly when I want.

Whenever I talk about my faith, I also want to address what faith does NOT mean to me. I absolutely can’t stand when people use religion as an excuse for being rude or judging others. God means love to me. I also do not believing in judging someone just because they do something differently than I would. Who am I to condemn someone just because I might not agree with their actions? I also feel there are still a lot of questions left unanswered about faith to me, but these are some of my core values.

Last spring, I got baptized at a wonderful church in the town in which I go to college. It was something I had been thinking about for a long time, and a really important decision to me. I know a lot of people get baptized as infants, but I think it was pretty special to do it as an adult too. I know religion and spirituality may not be for everyone, and that is completely fine by me. I just want people to find happiness, so I thought I would share some of what has brought me happiness.