How Has Being a Christian Affected the Life - Essay Example

Application How did God become real in your life? As with most American households, Sunday morning church was a part of my family’s routine. I can’t remember missing a single time. It seemed as natural and customary as going to school and evening dinner. Going to church is simply what people did as far as I knew. It wasn’t until I was about 12 years-old that I began to understand why the pilgrimage to church each week was important to my parents and soon after, what had been a mindless and somewhat boring routine became important to me. Maybe it was because I was a little bored in church and the Bible was the only reading material available but regardless of the motivations, I started my own routine of reading the red-letter parts of the New Testament each Sunday. Entranced by the words of Jesus, this habit progressed to late evenings at home and even on the bus to school. I found the words of Christ simple, to the point and ultimately a path to inner contentment and happiness. His words are, essentially, a guidebook for life. It was during this period in my life, early teenage years, that the spirit of God entered my life through the words of His Son and this connection has grown stronger by the year. 2) How has being a Christian affected your life? I made the transition from attending church as a matter of custom to being a devoted Christian gradually throughout the middle-school years; a time when having faith is certainly a benefit. Though I knew it wasn’t uncommon for everyone to have feelings of awkwardness at this age, this knowledge did not help soothe my own feelings if inadequacy. I wasn’t considered one of the cool, popular kids and neither were 99 percent of the students but again, this mathematical fact did not help either. Most of my friends from church attended other schools and the couple of people I associated with in elementary school had different class schedules. I felt very alone, vulnerable and intimidated. The ‘other’ students seemed more mature and sure of themselves which was more a result of my distorted self-perception than a reality nevertheless this feeling was very real at that time. I did not feel comfortable telling anyone close to me such as my parents or my once-a-week friends from church so I took solace in prayer. It gave me inner-strength in a time of self-doubt and confusion. Reading the Bible also helped considerably. Besides the lessons and wisdom gained from its pages, the realization that Jesus was not a popular figure either and had also a small circle of friends was of some comfort. Being a Christian as this time of great uncertainty was very beneficial. It gave me something solid in my life to hold on to at a time when I needed it the most. 3) How is being a Christian affecting your life now? The seeds of my faith in God were planted by my parents then sprouted as a pre-teenager and grew out of necessity during the middle and into the high-school years. Because the words of Jesus laid the foundation for my way of way of thinking, for example, being considerate of others, charitable, forgiving, humble, etc., my religion, my faith, is a part of every aspect in my life. I don’t pray for guidance in every decision I make or believe that my particular choice of religion is necessarily right for everyone. However, it is right for me. I appear to be happier and more optimistic than most, try to envision the ‘big picture’ and not be overly concerned about inconsequential irritations common in everyone’s everyday life. I credit this perspective on living to the lessons of the Bible and the philosophical wisdoms provided from within its pages. To be clear, I have a long road to travel, one that can never be completed in my quest to successfully follow the tenets of living laid out in the Bible but continue to benefit from the guidance offered within its pages. In every circumstance of life, my Christian faith is automatically injected into all decisions made and perceptions of the outcomes in any given situations. It not only affects my life, it is intricately intertwined with it. 4) How do you maintain your personal relationship with God? My personal relationship with God began incrementally, almost beyond my ability to perceive the increasingly stronger bond being created. It seems that, through the Bible, God is reaching toward mankind, His way of communicating with His creation. Within the realm of my faith, God seems to be the party within the relationship that is reaching out. Therefore, maintaining that relationship depends upon whether or not I break the bond, losing my religion, so to speak. What would possibly cause this? Succumbing to the fact that evolution actually happened or taking a ‘pro-choice’ stance, for example, may distance me ideologically from the conservative right-wing of society but does not diminish my faith in God. Exploring other philosophies and religions only serves to strengthen my faith. Other people’s opinions regarding the existence of God must be respected and are fascinating but does not damage my faith. My relationship with God is from God and fashioned especially for me, a person who is an independent thinker therefore unmoved by outside influence from either within the church or without. Consequently, my relationship with God cannot be manipulated or diminished. It is deeply rooted and will always remain close. My faith is a part of me and affects every aspect of my life, a fact that is beyond even my control so my relationship with the almighty is as well. 5) How do you expect God to use you in nursing? Caring for the sick is not a task most would undertake. It’s not a profession for the weak of heart or stomach. Those who choose nursing as a career must feel a need, a calling, a burning desire that comes from deep within ones soul and spirit. Of course, I do not know God’s plan for my life or what path my nursing career will take. These questions will be much better answered in my retirement years. I do expect that God will have a hand in determining where and how my talents will be the most useful but prior to that, my Christian faith and determination to fulfill my burning desire to heal the sick will be of great service to me in the learning process my chosen craft. I believe that God is using all of those in the field of nursing to carry out his will and whatever particular niche one fills within this profession would act to serve God’s intentions for that person. That is my mindset heading into nursing, just land wherever the wheel of fortune stops, get off, roll up my sleeves and try my best to carry through with God’s plan for my life. I’ll know what God’s specific plan for me likely after it happens. 6) State why you wish to enter the nursing program. The nursing program at this university provides me the opportunity to pursue an ambition that has dwelled within my heart for several years. Much like my faith, the desire to become a nurse began slowly and grew incrementally until it became part of me, something that cannot be dismissed or outgrown. Nursing not only will facilitate my personal desire for my life to have a real meaning during my short time on Earth but will also fulfill what I believe to be God’s plan for me. So many people of all ages either do not know what career path they want to take or are stuck in a job they do not like or feel satisfaction in performing. I am thankfully not in this category. I know what I want as my profession and am convinced that the level of ambition I am and have been feeling will not fade even after many years of study and practice. Time will tell, of course, but I have never been as sure of anything in my life and am determined to put in the effort it takes to realize my career choice, my calling, my dream and my destiny. Read More