By writing this, I am in no way trying to sway the Her Campus Clemson readers to believe in God. However, I do think that as a media/news publication it is great that different viewpoints on a number of topics can be expressed, even faith. Having faith in God saved and changed my life and I think it’s good to share what I’ve learned and what I’ve tried to practice with others every once in a while.
My faith taught me the importance of love, not from a boyfriend/girlfriend perspective, but in a global sense. I have come to learn, and am still learning, that God created everyone on this planet and he loves each individual person in a very special and unique way. If He loves me that much, I should love everyone else the same. Even if I am mistreated and even if I never get the same amount of love shown to me, I should still strive to love everyone, no matter what.
My faith taught me the importance of forgiveness. When people have hurt me, it has been so easy for me to give up on them and forget that they even existed. However, that isn’t the right way to handle situations like that. This is still a tough one for me but I am learning that forgiveness is unlimited even if it’s from the same person every single time. That’s not to say that we should keep allowing people to use and abuse us, but when they do we should be quick to forgive so that we don’t hold others hostage to their mistakes and so that we can properly heal and move on. God has forgiven and will continue to forgive me an unlimited amount of times, so why should I withhold forgiveness from others?
My faith has taught me why I should enjoy my life. We all go through hard times, right? Everything isn’t always sunshine and rainbows but there is a level of peace and enjoyment we can still get out of life if we allow it. My belief in God has shown me that even when there is chaos all around me I do not have to respond to the chaos. I can still have peace and be peaceful. I can still smile and be nice to everyone around me.
My faith has taught me about trust. Trusting God isn’t easy, but during the times in my life when I have had no other choice, I saw the benefit of it. God has a purpose and plan for everyone on this planet, including you and me. But how can you trust someone you can’t see? How do you know He even exists? Those are questions I asked myself even after I started to believe and learn about God. My story is too long to tell but I can share this: that’s what faith is all about, knowing that the next step is there even when you can’t see the staircase. Having faith in God is like feeling the wind even though you can’t see it, but the evidence of it is more present and real to you than what you actually see. That is the most importance lesson my faith taught me.