Throughout high school, I always had a solid relationship with Christ. I went to church with my family, I had Bible studies in the mornings with friends and living in the Bible Belt, there was a church around every corner. I knew what I believed and I never thought to doubt it. In my defense, I never really had anyone dispute my beliefs. Fast forward two years: I am in college and I have never been closer to God -- but in a completely different way than I ever thought. In order to strengthen my faith, I had to test it.

For college, I had moved to a city that was a melting pot from all over the country. Out of four roommates, one was Atheist, the second grew up Catholic but hated God and the third was hush-hush religious. For the first time in my life, I was the minority.

I thought to myself, "I am a Christian and proud to be one. Since when did this become a bad thing?" I had never experienced so many people who believed so many different things. Then it dawned on me, "How can I be sure my faith is the right faith when there are a million different people who believe a million different things?" I knew I had two options. One, I could close my mind to all other possibilities and just assume that mine was right or two, I could open my mind and expand myself through the journey to find what I really believe.

I began my search for what I believed. I was torn. Part of me felt guilty for questioning what I believed. Part of me was scared that I would get confused and realize I'd believed the wrong things this whole time. It already seemed to be happening too. For the first time, I found myself not openly sharing my beliefs in front of others.

For my next step, I bought a bible study and started praying. I prayed for God to help me see the truth. I prayed for Him to show me what I was supposed to do and to open my eyes to see Him working in my life. I prayed for Him to give me confidence in my faith when the easy way out would have been to run away.

Over my first semester, I visited churches with denominations that were different from mine. I visited youth groups, small groups and student-run college groups. I grew up in a very traditional church. It had two services on Sunday mornings held in a traditional church building. So when I walked into Journey, a church that was held in a bar, you could say it was a pretty big culture shock.

As soon as I walked in there was a guy with skinny jeans and hair styled better than mine that greeted me with a huge smile and a firm handshake. I tried to seat myself in the back to absorb the experience -- and, if we're being honest, to ensure a quick getaway if necessary. This group wasn't going to let me get away with that. I was talked all the way to a seat in the front, where to my surprise, the original man that greeted me was standing on the stage ready to give his sermon.

As I listened to the sermon and talked to the people, I found there was someone from just about every different state, religion, denomination and economic status possible. The best part was that they were all friends and most importantly, they all loved God. They talked about striving to live for God every day and experiencing the joy that was possible with God in your life. They all wanted what I wanted, but this raised more questions. "How could this be? How could they all be so different and all have the same ultimate belief?"

I discovered that day that the doctrinal details of what I believed wasn't nearly as important as my personal relationship with God. This community welcomed everyone that wanted to come. They wanted questions to be asked and faith to be strengthened. Everyone was allowed to have their own views. It's inevitable that people are going to have different views because we are all uniquely wired. We think, look, act and have different experiences every day. We are all just trying to make it through life. Life is hard and we are constantly put in tricky situations that make us question our morals. In college, perhaps more than other time in our lives, our minds are opened to things we never knew possible.

Little did I know walking in there that night that I was going to meet some of my best friends in that room. Contrary to popular stereotypes, these are not people who refuse to have fun because they think it's a sin. They are real and struggle with real life issues like I do every day. They struggle with doubt in their faith in a harsh world.

Through talking to these people my faith was strengthened. I discovered that everyone has their own relationship with God. Everyone's relationship is different and unique depending on the cards life has dealt them. Everyone see's God differently, and that is the beauty of it. He loves us all and wants a personal relationship with every single one of us. He wants to help take the load off of our shoulders that we can't hold alone. He wants to be there through the good times and bad. He is a constant. Life is a lot of things, but anyone could agree it's not reliable. God is, though.

I now know that I believe what I do not because I live in a city where everyone believes the same thing, but because I have asked the questions and found the answers. Through this community, I was able to understand why I have my faith and how it has made me the woman I am today.

I know how rough life can be and I don't have the answers to everyone's questions or even a lot of my own questions, but every day I grow and learn a little more. In my relationship with Christ, I have found the strength to go on when everything looks bleak, I have found love and joy when there doesn't appear to be any hope. I have found patience and wisdom that allows me to view the circumstances completely differently.

Don't get me wrong I have made my fair share of mistakes and as much as I would like to say I won't, I will continue to make mistakes. Yet I pray though that everyone, by asking questions and exploring answers, is able to find the joy that I found through my relationship with Christ. I honestly don't know where or who I would be without Him, but I now know asking questions didn't drive me away from Christ, but that they were actually the key to getting closer.

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." -- Philippians 4:13