By Chelsey Jaipersaud | Published by May 3, 2021
“Sunrise Manly”
By nigelhowe is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Someone once asked me why do I believe in God? I simply replied “because I’ve seen too much not to believe.”
I grew up with a lot of sadness surrounding my heart, constant worry of what bad thing was going to happen next. I struggled with making friends; I struggled with finding my worth; and I struggled with my faith.
I often questioned God. I questioned why good people suffer. I questioned why, at such a young age I faced so many obstacles at once. I questioned why things kept constantly falling apart.
I grew up thinking that blessings had to consist of big houses, fancy cars, lots of friends and all of the materialistic things of this world. In reality, I was surrounded by blessings my whole life.
Despite these hard times I have had a roof over my head, a mother who stopped at nothing to ensure the safety of her kids, and I attended good schools. And every day I woke up I was given a new chance.
Covid-19 has led many people to turn to their beliefs and fulfill a need for connectedness.
According to the American Psychological Association, religious reframing can help people transcend stressful times by enabling them to see a tragedy as an opportunity to grow in their faith.
Kean student Christian Grullon has developed his own connection with God that has become stronger throughout the pandemic.
“I’ve learned that it’s important to be devoted to spending time with God because you get consumed with all the chaos in the world,” Grullon said.
I, too, have found that my relationship with God has given me a chance to break away from the negativity and to see the world in a new light. It is so easy to get clouded by all the heartbreak, but the minute I turn to my faith I see a chance for change and opportunity.
Christian influencers across all social media platforms have shared their experiences which allowed others to open up about their experiences. People have created blogs and youtube videos sharing how their lives have changed in the span of one year.
Despite this, every day people are ridiculed for their religious beliefs. For me, it has become difficult to express how I feel and speak my truth when the world is constantly telling me to be someone else.
I’ve had friends tell me that those who believe in God make them feel judged, which is understandable, but I’m here to tell you that as a Christian I’ve felt judged too at times like when I choose not to participate in activities that others consider fun.
I’ve been called boring and a prude. Some people hear that I’m a Christian and automatically assume that I don’t believe in equal rights or that I can’t relate to their experiences.
My relationship with God is mine. I don’t expect everyone to understand it, but I do expect for people to respect it.
My relationship with God is personal. I remember when I was a child that my mother took me to a church that to me was unlike any other. There were no crosses, no saints, and no stained glass windows, just white walls and an assortment of flowers that surrounded the altar. I never thought you could feel so much love and peace just by walking into a simple room. This is just what I feel.
To say that I haven’t made mistakes would be a lie. To say that I have an extreme amount of patience would also be a lie. And to say that I’m a perfect Christian would be an even bigger lie.
Truth is we all believe in something and during these strenuous times my faith has not faltered; it has grown stronger. I was hesitant to write such an article, but my relationship with God is stronger than the criticism I sometimes get for believing.
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