I’ve been a baptized Christian since birth. My parents were both raised as Christians: my mom as a Catholic and my dad as a Protestant. I grew up attending two church services every Sunday, first a Catholic Mass and then a Protestant service. Because I was in a church multiple times a week for services, Bible studies, and other events, I naturally felt at home in church, but I never really questioned what I was saying I believed.

I attended public schools for ten years from kindergarten through freshman year of high school. Most of the kids I went to school with were Protestants with others I encountered being Catholics, Muslims, Jews, or Mormons. I was open about my faith and very lucky that my beliefs were well respected by my peers. When I later transferred to a Catholic high school my sophomore year, I was able to be even more open about my faith, but despite the fact that I went to a Catholic high school, I received backlash for my beliefs.

Some people believed I was a prude and a goody-two-shoes for going to Mass every Sunday. Others didn’t understand why I made the personal decision to go through with my confirmation, while others supported it. Many were very outspoken about how much they hated going to our Catholic high school and how much they despised the Catholic faith and Christianity in general. Many didn’t understand what I found appealing about Catholicism and many of them didn’t bother to ask, but some did and some agreed with me.

For those who never understood what I enjoy about my religion, this is for you. My faith isn’t just something I believe in. It’s a relationship with God. It gives me comfort when I feel stressed or anxious. It reminds me I’ll always be loved when I feel like I’m completely alone. It’s been the binding force for my family throughout all the trials and hardships we’ve faced over the past two years. My faith is the one constant in my life and I know that I will always have God in my life, even if I fall astray. Despite what the media may portray it as and what others may believe, religion can be for anyone if you just open yourself up to the chance to falling in love.

For a more eloquent wording of everything that my faith means to me, check out Jason Gray’s “More Like Falling In Love.”