I wasn't born into a Christian household like most Christian teens I know were. My mom was raised Catholic and my dad is Jewish, so I never felt any pressure to go to church or believe a certain thing (though I did attend Christian preschool and kindergarten). The summer going into 6th grade, five of my friends invited me to attend a Christian summer camp with them called Camp Highroad. I loved every second of my experience there, and I especially loved how friendly every single camper and staff seemed to be. The camp was, in the most literal sense, a sanctuary, yet I couldn't quite pinpoint why yet.
In sixth grade I decided to get confirmed at my church with two of my best friends, and that is where I most clearly see Christ's pursuit for me begin. Because after I got confirmed, though I wasn't saved during the process, it began my journey in youth group and sent me on my first mission trip to Middletown, MD. Admittedly, my primary focus on my first mission trip (the summer going into 7th grade) was boys, but that didn't stop God from pursuing my heart. I continued going to youth group all of 7th grade, just waiting for the mission trip to happen again the following summer. And when it did, everything changed. It was June 29, 2016 when I gave my life to Jesus and began my walk with Him by my side.
And I wish the story only got better from here, but things began to go downhill pretty quickly. I had a great 8th grade year, but it was tainted by the loss of my grandpa and a mutual friend who committed suicide all within the same month span. And 9th grade, to this day, was the worst year of my life. That year was tainted with the loss of many friendships and a newfound battle with anxiety and depression, but it was also a year of resiliency and true, blind faith when it felt like the world was against me. The rude awakening that being a Christian didn't mean I was going to have a perfect life was a necessary realization that to this day strengthens my faith when the storms of life try to wash it away.
And as I'm sure most people know, there is always a mountain to climb at the end of the valley, and boy did I climb it. Sophomore year solidified some amazing friendships that have changed my life for the better, and it came with a lot of self-actualization that revealed maybe I hadn't changed as much as I hoped I had from the past years trauma. It also came with some heart break, but for the first time in my life I no longer defined my time by what boy I was talking to/having to get over; I defined my time by how Jesus was working in my life and strengthening my heart. That summer I went on my annual mission trip with my youth group, I had my final year as a camper at Camp Highroad, and I went to Guatemala which changed my perspective forever (I plan to do a blog post just talking about that experience).
And now here I am, at the end of my junior year, feeling called by God to create a blog-post and to finally be vulnerable in my faith. After all of this time and all of this growth, one of the main things I have learned is that my faith is what heals me. Faith in Jesus has healed every wound and covered every scar with mercy and forgiveness, and my hope is that this blog can help others start to heal their scars with the things of heaven, not the things of this world. I hope you will continue along this journey with me, and I cannot wait to see how God uses our healing faith during this time of sickness and uncertainty.
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