A Call to Respond to God’s Love

A CALL TO F A RESPOND I T PSALM TO GOD’S H 94:19 LOVE & L IN THE O MULTITUDE V OF MY E THOUGHTS WITHIN ME emmanuel joy paje YOUR COMFORTS DELIGHT MY SOUL. PSALM 136:26 O GIVE THANKS TO THE GOD OF HEAVEN: FOR HIS MERCY ENDURES FOR EVER. MATTHEW 11:28 COME TO ME, ALL YOU THAT LABOR AND ARE HEAVY LADEN, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN STORIES, AND NOW I'LL TELL YOU MINE. I'M AN ADOLESCENT WHO LIVES WITH MY ENTIRE FAMILY, WHO ISN'T PARTICULARLY RELIGIOUS BUT DOES ATTEND CHURCH IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS. BEFORE WE GET THERE, LET'S GO BACK TO A TIME IN MY LIFE WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER. I USED TO GET UP EARLY ON SUNDAYS WHEN I WAS A YOUNGSTER. OUR COMPOUND'S CHURCH HOLDS SERVICES AT 9:00 AND 10:00 A.M. EVERY SUNDAY, I USED TO GO TO CHURCH WITH MY FRIENDS. I'M NOT SURE WHAT SOME THINGS WERE LIKE BACK THEN, LIKE HOMILY AND SUCH. BUT WHEN THE PRIEST TELLS A STORY, I ALWAYS LISTEN. I ALWAYS APPRECIATE HEARING THOSE STORIES SINCE THEY ARE RELATABLE TO EVERYONE. I WAS A KID WHO WANTED TO TRY COMMUNION SINCE I SAW IT ALL THE TIME, BUT I COULDN'T BECAUSE I WAS STILL VERY YOUNG AT THE TIME. AS A CHILD, I DIDN'T NORMALLY PRAY AT NIGHT SINCE I WAS OFTEN WEARY FROM PLAYING AND FELL ASLEEP SHORTLY AFTER EATING SUPPER. HOWEVER, WHEN I REALIZE THAT I NEED TO PRAY, I ALWAYS PRAY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. MY BUDDIES, WHO I GO TO CHURCH WITH EVERY SUNDAY, ARE GRADUALLY LEAVING OUR COMPLEX. A FEW YEARS LATER, I DON'T GO OUTDOORS AT THAT HOUR SINCE MY FRIENDS ARE NO LONGER MY NEIGHBORS. AND I DIDN'T STOP ATTENDING CHURCH THROUGHOUT THAT PERIOD. BUT BECAUSE I HAD A LOT ON MY PLATE BECAUSE I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH AT THE TIME, I DON'T GO TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY NOW, BUT I DO GO IF MY SISTER AND I HAVE SPARE TIME. AND SINCE THEN, I'VE BEEN PRAYING EVERY NIGHT OR EVEN BEFORE I TAKE A BATH. EVERY DAY, I PUT MY FAITH TO ACTION BY PRAYING, BELIEVING, AND TRUSTING IN OUR GOD. I BELIEVE MY TRUST IN GOD BECAME STRONGER WHEN I BEGAN TO FEEL WORTHLESS IN 2019. MY LIFE WAS AT ITS APEX AT THE TIME, AND I WAS ACCUSED OF SOME AWFUL THINGS I DIDN'T COMMIT, BUT I COULDN'T PERSUADE THEM TO TRUST ME. TO BE HONEST, I WAS DEPRESSED AT THE TIME, AND MY TRUST IN GOD BECAME STRONGER. WHEN I WAS AT MY LOWEST, I RELIED ON HIM, TALKED TO HIM, AND TRUSTED HIM. I TRUSTED HIM TO ACCOMPLISH THE REST SINCE I COULDN'T DO IT ON MY OWN. AND WE SUCCEEDED. DESPITE WHAT MY THOUGHTS TOLD ME, I DID NOT TERMINATE MY LIFE. NOW THAT I'VE DISCUSSED MY BACKGROUND, LET'S MOVE ON TO MY PRESENT. SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE, EVEN WHEN YOU'RE A TEENAGER ON THE VERGE OF BECOMING AN ADULT. BUT TIMES AND EVENTS HAVE CHANGED. THE EPIDEMIC BEGAN, WHICH IS WHY NO ONE COULD GO TO CHURCH; THIS WAS THE PERIOD WHEN EVERYONE'S FAITH, INCLUDING MINE, WAS REINFORCED. EVERY NIGHT, I PRAYED FOR EVERYTHING TO RETURN TO NORMAL, THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE GREAT AND SAFE, AND THAT ALL OF THE STRAY CATS AND DOGS WOULD BE FED AND GIVEN A PLACE TO STAY. BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NEITHER SIMPLE NOR DIFFICULT FOR ME. UNLIKE OTHER RELIGIONS, IT APPEARS THAT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SET OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS. I OBSERVE CHRISTIANS WHO ARE CALM AND HAVE GREAT TRUST IN GOD. EVERY TIME I'M ON MY LOWEST GROUND IT FEELS LIKE HE'S CALLING ME TO BELIEVE AND TRUST HIM. AND BELIEVING IN HIM MADE MY FAITH WORK. emmanuel joy paje