I had an interesting
discussion with a young 20 year old girl attending John Hopkins in the USA. She
was half Jewish an half Nicaraguan. She
was visiting her family in Nicaragua and exploring the country. Our conversation gravitated towards religion
and faith(not by coincidence I believe). She shared her childhood growing up
Christian and Jewish, but she never felt connected to either. She respected the temple and she respected the church-celebrated both Christmas and Hannukah.
It was clear in
her voice that had some hesitation to accept one and to accept God. She had
little belief in God playing a role in her life whether big or small. She identified her own free will and personal
choices as her own life. It was refreshing that she was not closed minded to
one’s experience with God rather she wanted to hear it. She wanted to hear about my experiences and I
didn’t plan on sharing, but she asked. I’m not the type of Christian that forces
people to believe rather I still remain a neutral therapist because that is how
I am comfortable. I shared how God presents himself beautifully in moments of
joy, sadness, difficulty, or need. When you are down to a drop of faith, her
works with what you give him.
When something feels like complete disappointment, it is just a learning opportunity to grow. There are wake up calls to learn and realize what is important. There is a plan and purpose that connects with him and this takes time to understand or figure out by trial and error. She said she just can’t have faith in something she doesn’t believe exists. We went back and forth on her beliefs, but she did present a lot of interest and a lot of hopeful moments. When she could see the sincerity in my eyes and the fire in my words, it was evident that she was considering a possibility.
Of course, she didn’t believe everything I said, but she was genuinely touched. For me, what was significant for her was that she still had hope. The hope was there that one day she might change her mind. She might have an experience, moment, or a conversation that just changes her whole world.
When something feels like complete disappointment, it is just a learning opportunity to grow. There are wake up calls to learn and realize what is important. There is a plan and purpose that connects with him and this takes time to understand or figure out by trial and error. She said she just can’t have faith in something she doesn’t believe exists. We went back and forth on her beliefs, but she did present a lot of interest and a lot of hopeful moments. When she could see the sincerity in my eyes and the fire in my words, it was evident that she was considering a possibility.
Of course, she didn’t believe everything I said, but she was genuinely touched. For me, what was significant for her was that she still had hope. The hope was there that one day she might change her mind. She might have an experience, moment, or a conversation that just changes her whole world.
As a true believer,
I sincerely hope that things can change for in a positive direction. It’s great
to respect different religions and learn about them, but it’s another to
believe in one..everyday…every hour…everytime..
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