In an extremely secular world, a single utterance of your religious beliefs gets you pinned as "that Jesus girl" forever after. Religion tends to be a sensitive topic to bring up to new people, but can also bring you closer than ever. It is very easy to lose your beliefs when you enter into college, but at the same time, college is also an opportunity to deepen your faith more than ever. Lucky for me, I have my youth group, Couples for Christ-Youth (CFC-Y), to keep me grounded and to keep me accountable every step of the way so I never stray from my faith. So here's an ode to my youth group and the five ways my life is now forever changed.
1. I am not alone.
Through the ministry I gained my brothers and sisters in Christ (AKA the greatest support system ever). The friendships made through youth group are unlike any other. You grow together physically, mentally and spiritually. These people hold you accountable and are a family for you to always rely on and fall back on. They are no longer just your friends; they are your brothers and sisters. Despite being an only child, it rarely feels like that because my brothers and sisters are constantly there for me and are always spending time with me. We pray together and play together. One of my favorite memories with my brothers and sisters was at a recent youth camp, when we had the opportunity to pray over one another. There was not a single dry eye in the room; our relationship was deepened more than ever before and I am beyond grateful. With these people, you'll never get teased or called a nun for saying "I'll pray for you" because, odds are, they're praying for you too. A person's spiritual journey is very much like a roller coaster with the ups and the downs. These brothers and sisters are here for you no matter what because they experience the same things too. No matter how far you feel from your faith, you'll never feel far away from your brothers and sisters.
2. Worship: the instant prayer.
Like any other millennial, I constantly have music playing, whether I'm exercising, cleaning or studying. Confession time: I'm currently listening to my "Jesus Jams" playlist as I type. Through my youth group, I learned about the act of worship; I learned about music that is a prayer. These songs of worship had meaning and depth that applied to me and all of my beliefs: prayers in the form of music. As St. Augustine said, "Singing is twice praying," and through worship, we do just that. These songs that I learned weren't the traditional songs you hear at mass; they were fast and upbeat and made you want to dance. A philosophy of ours is to be a Fool for God: just as sports fan go crazy for their favorite team, we let loose and go crazy for God. It doesn't matter who's around you because this worship is between you and the Almighty. My spiritual life was forever changed through my now favorite form of prayer.
3. I am a leader.
Somewhere along the way, I was no longer just a participant at youth camps. The next thing I knew, I was giving a share and then a talk and soon enough I was a facilitator with my own small group. Within the span of a year, I went from a CFC-Y newbie to a youth group leader, sharing my own testimony at my very first national youth conference. The role of a leader is unlike any other; people look up to you through the good and the bad. Although the pressure to be perfect is overwhelming, I learned that those looking up to you, are 100 percent okay with seeing you mess up and struggle every now and then; it shows that you're human. One of the biggest lessons I learned as a leader is leading by example and how evangelization is more than just words. It's easy to recruit more people into our family because after every youth camp, I find myself on a "Jesus high." People see this in my happiness and the post-camp high is contagious; they want to be a part of the fun too. Actions speak louder than words.
4. My first youth conference.
Everybody remembers their first youth conference. My first conference was extremely special because I got the honor to speak in front of youth from across the nation. The platform my youth group provides me is incredible. Not only did I get to meet so many people, but I got an opportunity to worship with all these people. Being in an environment of people who share the same beliefs as you is incredible; making friends is as easy as 1, 2, 3. It's encouraging to know that there are so many people out there just as excited about their faith as you, especially when you are constantly surrounded by a secular world. Being in a completely nonsecular environment for a weekend is so refreshing and always makes me excited for the next conference to come.
5. The global network.
Being a national (and international) youth group, I have met people from across the nation and Canada at the summer youth conference. There is so much comfort I find in the fact that wherever I am in the country, I can find fellow CFC-Youths. I met one of my closest friends in college as a result of us both being members of CFC-Y. Despite no longer being physically close with the brothers and sisters I have grown up with due to college, I continue to meet more from other states and build relationships with them. It's very easy to build relationships when you share the same core beliefs and values.
Despite what you believe, I encourage you to explore your faith and make connections with people that share your same core beliefs. However, I also challenge you to reach out to other faiths and gain a new perspective of the world and of your own faith. Having conversations with other people not only allows you to learn about their beliefs, but it shows you so much about your own. I always say that my friends make me who I am today, especially my brothers and sisters. Find the friends that bring out the best in you and help you deepen your faith.
As a CFC-Youth, it is my mission to be and bring Christ wherever I go. I'm determined to be fearless with my soul ablaze for the Lord. We are a new generation and it's time for us to rise. I believe that Jesus died for my sins; it's my turn to live for God. As Msgr. Dillon always said, "God made me to be good, happy and successful, not bad, sad and a failure," and I'm ready to do just that.
