What I Really Learned in Faith, Reason, and Revelation



I have learned many things during this semester and have really been challenged to see what’s important in my life. I have consciously made decisions to drive slower when my brother was in the car, or when there was traffic, where my decisions, both times, would result in my injury and either my brothers or other people on the road. I have also been challenged to share my Faith with others and not hide it all the time. Before, I was afraid of what people would think if they knew I was a “Youth Group guy” or something along those lines and as a result, I didn’t stick up for something I believed in so strongly. This course has really helped me see just why I shouldn’t be worried about something that little.

But most of all, I have learned to be truly appreciative of my friends and family. I have really come to cherish my family and friends as I no longer take for granted my mom and her constant help to make the family run smoothly or my dad’s constant hard work to make sure he can pay for stuff like my school tuition. I had overlooked that before and now I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family. My friends are pretty incredible in the way that they are seriously always there for me, always looking out for me, etc. One of the most vivid displays of this was when my girlfriend broke up with me. I mean I was pretty bummed and a good friend of mine just so happened to call me that night. I was talking to her and well it came up that my girlfriend broke up with me. She could tell I was crushed and at 10:15 on a school night, she immediately thought of inviting me over to her house. I went over, and it turned out her sister, who I also know very well, (both went to grade school with me) was awake too. I remember just sitting in her kitchen talking to both of then, devastated at what had happened, but the more I was over there, the more I seemed to realize it was going to be fine. There was nothing I could do at that moment to fix it except realize the world can go on and they helped me come to that realization. Im telling you, it was so easy to get over that breakup and it was all because my friends were there for me at 10:15 on a school night.

I will never forget going over to her house that night or similar stories where that list could go on forever because friends are just that amazing. Everyday I wake up knowing I have them there for me and for whatever reason this course has opened my eyes to that. I don’t know if it was the “Challenges to Faith” section because I realized that I need my friends through those “challenges” or a section like “What is Faith” because I realized just how much faith my friends had in me or that through us sharing our Faith at youth group, I have been blessed with so many good friends. Whatever it was, I have been truly awakened to the many blessings I have in my life and have become truly thankful for how good God has been to me in my 16 years of life.