Jesus

Lately, I have been thinking alot about religion and its role in my life. Growing up I was not exposed to religion besides going to church on occasions with family or friends. I believe it was during my senior year of high school when I got the urge to become "more religious" and made the decision to find a church of my own. So I decided to go to the local Catholic Church with my grandmother. I did not attend every Sunday, but when I did, I would leave out with a sense of renewal. It seemed as if a cloud of happiness would hang over my head for the rest of the day. I did not understand the meaning and source of this happiness until recently.

Once I moved to Austin, my life took a 180 degree turn. I began to have a new outlook on what's important in life and how to perceive the world around me. Honestly, Professor Bump's class played a huge part in my transformation especially in my religious views. Reading and discussing religion in our close knit family along with attending a recent lecture about Jesus has helped my realize the history of what I believe in. Before the topic of religion came up in class, I was different in my faith practices by just praying more. I no longer only pray at night but all through the day now. Over the past couple of weeks, I've learned more about who I am praying to and what I am praying about. It's just like a Government or U.S. History class that focuses on the structure of our Constitution and the natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness guaranteed to every individual; I have learned what kind of individual Jesus was and his impact on all of us.

Can I ever become an extraordinary individual like Jesus? Can I even come close to appreciating "that [God] loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins?" (1John 4:7, 113) I know that I can't because the humanly tendencies of being selfish will not allow me to be, but I will do my best to come close. He sacrificed his life so the rest of the world and I can commit daily sins; individuals he did not know, strangers. I would sacrifice my life for someone that I loved, but I don't believe I would do it for someone that raped and killed innocent children. I just WOULD NOT do it, but Jesus did. I am sure it was not in the intention of children being abused, but some people take sinning to an elevated level. He sacrificed his life because there was the knowledge that we all were going to sin at some point in our life. This image of Jesus on the cross brings into perspective his unimaginable devotion. The quote stated in picture is extremely thought provoking because seeing Jesus on cross is very dramatic. It is very different than just seeing him being shoot or stabbed. Being nailed to cross evokes pain and agony. Imagine being nailed by feet and hands to wood; it's just unimaginable to me.

As I mentioned before, I feel a sense of happiness whenever I leave church. Now I feel that sense of happiness just about every second of my life because I just don't think about Jesus on Sundays for just about an hour and half but all during the day. My New Years Resolution of being happy 99% of the time was inspired by my new found interest of Jesus. "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29, 111). I feel blessed everyday when I can smile in situations where I would normally cry. I feel blessed that there was someone willing to risk their life so I could live in a world where I can become anyone I want to be and achieve goals that will make my life on earth enjoyable and worthwhile. The image of Jesus among children shows the importance of instilling religion or beliefs into our children. Children are our future and the story of Jesus can too change their lives the way it did mine. They can have someone to look up to and make their stay on earth a positive experience.