Hope from a Friend
Sorry I haven’t been posting in a while but I just popped in to post an essay by a friend of mine. He was asked to write an essay about interacting with different faiths and I find his essay very interesting. He also dedicates it to a friend of his.
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Hope from a Friend
Personally, I was never one to judge a person on what their faith is but instead of the deeds they do and if they choose to live a good life. I’ve met Roman Catholics wherein some were good influences and other bad influences while people who say they are atheists and are good influences while some in turn bad. I guess religion was never a big part on how I view people and life in general. But, as they say, once in a while you meet someone who changes your life and that one person changed me with their passion for their religion
As with every high school class, my class was filled with drama every day and the stress that came along with that as you tried to mediate and make everyone happy can be a handful of stress to handle but even more so when you’re living with your grandmother means dealing with rage and her not remembering you due to dementia. Together, stress took its toll and I was at my breaking point. While I tried to look strong and act as if it didnt hurt me, on the inside, I was crumbling like a cookie in a warm glass of milk. Even the simple conversations brought me over the edge and my reactions would always be that of anger and a short temperment, though I would apologize once I had calmed down.
I spent nights looking up at the stars, admiring God’s beauty in the heavens, and silently praying that I just make it to summer break. I prayed that he may gave me the courage, patience and calmness to stay strong until the end of the school year where most of the stress would be gone and all I had to do for the whole day was rest and read. Little did I know that He has something much better in mind.
Around this time was when I became closer with a classmate of mine. We didn’t really interact or talk with one another but suddenly we became friends and talked often. As we talked, one thing that truly stood out in her character was her faith. Though she may have been of a different religion, she was just as passionate to her faith as I was to keeping strong for the people around me. Simple greetings became small talks and eventually evolved into truly meaningful conversations. It was in those conversations that I saw that what I had prayed for, to be more patient and calm, were embodied in her and became a reminder of what I needed to do. It was in those conversations that I also saw what I would call a spark, a glimmer of hope that helped me hold on even as the future seemed clouded with stress. She would have sayings and verses she would share that would remind me that even in the bleakest of times, God was there watching us, defending us, protecting us and gracing us with his glory.
It’s funny how even if I am Roman Catholic, it took someone of a different faith to remind me that I wasn’t alone. But not only that, but that there is an inheritant goodness in all of us, and with God’s help, we can use this good ness to help others. Most of all, this someone became my beacon of hope, the embodiment of my prayers and a class of person that reminds me that no matter our faith, we can still do good to help others and remind them that God is in our lives even if it is clouded with stress, anger and pain.
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