“Are You There God? It’s Me Gabby.”
Yes, I am a Religious Studies major. Yes, I was once gifted a “This Girl Loves Jesus” T-shirt in a secret santa gift exchange. And YES, I like to go out and have fun.
The book “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” is your classic Judy Blume coming of age book that mothers from my town circled around from mom to mom to mom. Each of these mothers, including my own, made sure they strategically placed this endearing, yet SUPER cringe book in a place where we would all find it. No worries this is not meant to be a book review. Long story short, this book is about a young girl who questions and contemplates her relationship with God, amongst many other things. Talking about God and what people believe in shouldn’t be taboo, but it has been for quite some time now. I’m in fifteenth grade now and my bringing up this book in this article is random, but semi-relevant to what I am going share.
Unlike the narrator from that book, my faith and relationship with God has always been with me. I grew up Catholic. I go to church every.single.sunday. I was raised knowing the value and importance in helping and loving others. My mom taught CCD and my dad reads at mass. When I was old enough, I began to altar serve and although I never understood 99.9% of what was going on during the masses I loved going to church. I found it interesting that for a mere hour the outside world chaos seemed to cease. I went from being a rowdy kid, who just minutes before mass would be singing, scratch that, not singing, more like full out performing to Justin Bieber bops in the car to snap-of-the-fingers- to what some elderly people called “stunning” church etiquette: sitting upright and silent. I remember being squished between my sisters in the pews flashing our lil smiles to the same elderly couples who sat behind us, hoping they had brought those Bulls-Eyes Caramel Cream candies to church. The only thing better than these candies was knowing that God loves all of us and has a bunch of special angels looking out for not only me and mine, but also people from places all over. My faith is strong. I am a huge believer. God above all else, but also in the universe and in goodness. On another level of beliefs… of course Santa is included, and I remain skeptical of the Tooth Fairy.
I am a fidgety and loud person, but in church I find a wave of calm take over. Life is hard, but it is equally, if not more beautiful. In a world where turmoil continues globally and crappy stuff happens, having a place or way to relieve my worries has helped me tremendously. Going to church on Sunday helps me start my week with a positive mindset and open heart, while praying helps me keep the strength to continue forward each day. I am confident in my love of God, for He makes me, well… me. I believe I was created to create. I have had friends and others ask me why I bother going to mass every Sunday. Truth of the matter, I do not see it as a task to check off my to-do list like Sunday laundry, rather a commitment to myself and the greatness I want to achieve in this life. I know that jubilance is a choice, kindness is a choice, and I found a home in my religion that I can never outrun. While my faith has certainly wavered during some trying times, I admit to being far from perfect. I swear occasionally. I mess up like anyone else. I fall short some days, but that is normal and that is human. By being an active Catholic and attending mass I am investing in a life full of love and purpose. But, yea to answer a lot of people’s questions… yes, I am Catholic and yes, I have fun.