Being in this place of worship has been a struggle during my early adolescent years

what made it simpler is the fact that my mother is a consistent church member so she also
encourages us to actively participate in church activities. So my sister and i became altar
servers and we were able to make ourselves available almost every weekend serving
burial masses, weddings, baptisms, etc. Being one it opens you up to another family, our
fellow altar servers who became our friends and also some of the priest during those
times and they become the constant source of encouragement. Being in the church has
become a routine, it becomes normal and it becomes a habit. Being in the church no
longer becomes difficult because you are going in to a place where your presence is
acknowledge and your contribution affirmed.

And life goes on so I went in to college it is where I believe where my real spiritual
journey begins. I have met friends and classmates who brought me into ministries.
Letting me experience their own experience with God. But what discourages us to go to
church is our expectations when we first thought of church, it being the house of god we
assume that people in it were perfect and flawless but when we realize they're not then we
shy away from being in the church ( kay lage mao raman gihapon ) but in the day of
Judgement and you'll face God you will not be telling him about your friend, your
neighbor, and other people's lives . You will be telling God about your own personal
experience of Him. Joshua Chapter 24 verse 22 say " then Joshua Said, you are witnesses
againts yourselves that you have chosen to serve the lord." this is one of our fights that
we mind our own personal journey with God and to focus on our own spiritual growth.
shouldn't we be all excited of meeting God because we'll have ample of stories to tell him
how how we are able to champion all the difficulties and obstacles life has thrown to us
because we have known that His love and Mercy.

Sure daghan kaayo kog struggle during my college years but i was able to survive,
how ?

Having the experience of being in the church gives you the right mindset during the
direst moments of our lives . That right mindset is the knowledge that God exist. It gives
you a feeling of comfort that things will be okay because God looks at you with mercy
and He sees your struggle.
And that being known works, it works in miraculous ways because
when i was in Cebu i was hospitalized for days because of dengue, away from family but
i never felt afraid because i just know I'll survived never thought of dying even though
my platelet count reach 14 , but I have classmates and friends who are consistent prayer
warriors , we unceasingly pray for healing. The most powerful verse i have learned
because of my experiences in cebu is this its in Matthew chapter 14 verses 22-31. It is the
time when God went to the mountain to pray and let the disciples go to the boat first and
He came to them walking on the sea and when the disciples saw him they thought it was
a ghost and God said " Do not be afraid , It is I.Peter then said if it is you command me to
come to you unto the water . God Said come , but when peter saw the waves he felt afraid
and begun to sink God immediately rescued him and said "o you of little faith why did
you doubt". And that's also the fight ( its acknowledging and trusting in His presence) i
may have not seen God but i have felt his presence through my parents because i am
loved , through my siblings for their support, through my friends who are always there,
through random strangers who came flooding my room inquiring if they can be able to
donate blood. Surely i haven't seen God but I know He was there during the lowest point
of my life.

But I believe that the greatest fight of the youth of today is their fight for their self
worth and importance. This may seem sad but this is the reality that the youth of today
depends their feeling of self security in the number of likes, shares, and comments they
get from a single face book post. And once they don't get such ample amount they begin
to think that their lives don't matter, that their presence unfelt, that they are ugly, that they
are no longer loved.
Yes we are only a spec of dust in such a vast expanse but our lives matter. Its not an
inch defined by any social media site. You are loved and your life matter and the greatest
known fact I can give you why is because God died for all of us, all of us and that
includes you, me everyone, all of us. And this is another fight for you to know that your
life matters, that your worth is beyond a thousand jewels because you are loved by God.
This is a fight that the youth of today should not seek love in any other possible outlet
( boyfriends, girlfriends, being social media famous) and instill in their minds that they
are loved.

We have our own story of struggles and success, so my only prayer is peace, peace
within all of our hearts that we may bale to sleep soundly at night knowing we are loved
and our lives matter.