I wasn’t raised in a super religious household. My mom grew up going to church, but my dad didn’t—and neither did I. Still, my mom made sure my siblings and I had children’s Bibles, those big, heavy books full of colorful pictures and short stories from Scripture. That was the religion I knew: what my mom and grandma shared with me.
“God is all around us.”
“God always has a plan.”
“God made you perfect just the way you are.”
Those were the words I grew up hearing. And I loved that idea—the thought that someone beyond my family was watching over me. But as I got older, I started to wrestle with what my relationship with God really meant. I believed in God’s existence, but everything else seemed confusing and hard to make sense of.
Now, as a student at a Catholic private college, I’ve felt the weight of imposter syndrome. Taking religious classes to meet graduation requirements forced me to reflect on my beliefs. At first, it complicated how I viewed my faith, but it also gave me the chance to talk openly with my professors and realize I’m not alone. I’ve come to understand that I don’t necessarily need to belong to a specific church or know every Bible verse by heart to have faith.
This semester, I’m taking a Christian Spirituality class—recommended to me by the very professor I’d once talked to about my upbringing and my complicated relationship with God. Something he said in class this week really stuck with me:
“Sometimes the best thing to do is hang out with your friends, drink wine, sleep, or sit by yourself—because that’s what Jesus did.”
Of course, that’s not all Jesus did, but in that moment, something shifted and connected with me. I may not go to church every Sunday or read the Bible every day, but I can live out my faith by being present with the people I love, by sharing a meal, by resting, and by taking time to care for myself. In doing those simple things, I’m becoming the best version of myself—the person God intended me to be.
I’ve realized that faith doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. It’s not always found in pews, prayers, or sermons—it can be found in laughter around a dinner table, in quiet moments of gratitude, or in simply showing kindness to others. I’ve learned that it’s okay for my relationship with God to grow and change as I do. Faith isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about continuing to seek, to question, and to feel connected to something bigger than myself.
I know some people won’t agree with me, and maybe I don’t know exactly what I believe yet, but I know this: I believe in love, compassion, and purpose. And if God is in all those things, then maybe I’ve been walking with Him all along—just in my own way.