My Personal Faith Essay

My personal faith and beliefs contribute to every aspect of my life. I come from a Christian family and a congregation of baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. My parents have always given me unconditional love and dedication, while teaching me healthy boundaries pertaining to life. Such as always putting the Lord first, being more concerned about the pain of consequences for irresponsibility, the rights and wrongs of my behavior, and what pain any of my actions may cause for others and God. My faith has enabled me to handle life challenges from my past and present. Some of these challenges have been series of events that I could hardly believe were happening, while others came with great joy. At five years old, my younger brother, Chandler, died unexpectedly. This was a tough challenge for my whole family to face. This challenge could have easily torn my family apart but together, as a team with God, we worked hard at picking up the pieces and moving forward even when there were days that seemed to be impossible. In the fifth grade, I was diagnosed with a common learning disability known as Attention Deficit Disorder. I am faced with this challenge on a daily basis. I have learned to cope with this disorder over the years by making prayer and patience priorities in helping me conquer this challenge. This challenge was especially difficult during my SAT and ACT tests. Certain scores on these tests were required to get into college and play NCAA football. The stress and pressure of taking these tests felt unbearable at times. While studying and before and during each test, I would remind myself that, through God, all things are possible. With God by my side, I was able to achieve the scores needed to reach my college and athletic goals. Varsity football has had an enormous impact on me during high school because it taught me how dedication and determination would help me succeed in academics as well as in extracurricular activities. Being part of a team helped me develop leadership skills within myself. Each time I step on the field, I put forth an effort to play my best. For me, each game started with a prayer that God would help me make good decisions and keep me and my team safe, win or lose. I earned many Regional and State awards for my achievements in football. All District First Team Defense 2011 and All Region Second Team Defense 2011 were two of my greatest achievements. Again, through God, all things are possible. Strong faith, good character and determination to succeed and live â€Å"a life that matters† can help anyone overcome any challenging situation that they are faced with in their lifetime. They also produce hope within oneself and set the foundation for an integral person to build on their morals and values. I plan to influence others to live â€Å"a life that matters† by staying true to my faith and hope within myself and allowing patience and perseverance to always be a strong characteristic of my character. I am going into the nursing program at Shepherd University in the fall. I plan to further my education into physical therapy. After my education is finished and I enter the working world, I want my greatest accomplishments to be encountering someone daily that I can portray my faith and integrity to that will make a difference in both our lives. I want to be able to reflect back on myself as a person who lived my entire life as one that mattered regardless of what stage of life or challenge that I am faced with at that time. As Christians, we are called and obligated to serve God with our time, talents, and material possessions but we must also recognize these areas as being entrusted to us to be used for the glory of God and helping others. God wants us to seek to bring others under the sway of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.