Why am I a Christian?

I am at a point in my life where I am finding lots of things to write about, so blogging seemed like a good outlet. These are simply thoughts I have expressed the best way I know how. Maybe someone will find them interesting to read, but if not, at least I enjoyed writing them. This blog will probably mainly be thoughts about my faith as I work to make it stronger.

This week I have come to the realization that being a Christian in college is different than being a Christian in high school. In college I am exposed to people that haven't known me my whole life, and as they get to know me, they will inevitably find out about my faith, because it is a big part of my life. This has led me to many opportunities to share my faith, but I feel that I always hesitate and lose my chance. Since it easier for me to write than talk, I thought I would begin this adventure in blogging with an explanation of why I choose to be a Christian.

Many of my peers seem to think that I am a Christian because my parents are making me be one. That's not true. You can't make someone be a Christian. You can lead someone to Jesus, but you can't force them to accept him. My parents led me to Jesus. They took me to church and raised me in a Christian household. They modeled a God centered relationship to me, and I have reached the age where I am extremely grateful for that. God has always been a factor in my life, and when I reached the age where I could consciously choose to become a Christian, I did.

As I have gotten older, being a Christian is becoming harder. I am in classes where I am taught to think logically, and to question things. Believing in something I can't physically prove is considered by some people to be downright unintelligent. But still my faith is growing stronger. Why is that? Because I have seen God.

No, I'm not talking about some dream or hypnotic image. I'm talking about occurrences in my everyday life in which God reveals himself to me. I can clearly remember the first time I experienced one of these occurrences.

For as long as I can remember, Tuesdays during the summer have included going to the nursing home with my Grandma and a group of ladies from her church. They sing to the patients, and I sing along very quietly. I don't remember how old I was, but I will never forget when I saw a woman who seemed unresponsive and unaware of her surroundings begin to sing the lyrics to The Old Rugged Cross along with us, clear as day. Now I'm sure that there's some scientific reason why that happened, but in my mind it will always remain a message from God, telling me that He can reveal himself to me if I choose to seek him,

Throughout my life, I have learned to find God in situations like that. I see God when I child smiles at me or when I meet a new friend. This weekend when I was home I went out to lunch with my parents. As I watched them interact, I saw them for the first time as not just these people that raised me, but as two people who God joined together as part of His plan. At one point during the conversation, Daddy put his arm on the chair behind Mama and began to sing some goofy song loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. She began to laugh and shush him, and they both looked so happy in that moment. The fact that they found each other is not a coincidence. I believe God brought them together because it was part of his plan. The fact that these two people, who raise a family so well and enjoy each other so much, found each other seems to big to be a coincidence. That's God.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is no, I'ts not because i'm "brainwashed" or was "raised really conservatively". I'm a Christian because I choose to be. I see God, and I think it's best for me to follow Him. After all, He knows how my story goes, because He wrote it. Who could possibly lead me through my story better that the Author?