John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I’ve heard this bible verse plenty of times, but I never really knew what it meant. My family has been taking me to church every Sunday since I was old enough to remember anything. As a child, I viewed church mainly as a place to sing songs, do arts and crafts with friends, and wait for my parents to pick me up. It really did feel like it was Sunday School. I also went to a Christian school from kindergarten to fifth grade. Although we had Bible classes, chapel, and had bible verses all throughout the school, I never felt that being a follower of God was something I was passionate about. It felt like I was just doing what I was told. Around age 16, I realized the importance and the real meaning of having faith in God.
After fifth grade, my family moved me to Rose Hill Middle School which is a public school. It was a real culture shock for me. I went from going to a school where cursing was never allowed and punishable, to a school where kids thought you were lame if cursing wasn’t a part of your vocabulary. When I first started, the whole environment of public schools made me feel unsafe and unwholesome. But eventually, I found myself starting to enjoy public school. I had lots of friends, I was “popular”, I was a class clown, and I was victorious on the school's sports teams. It was almost like I had completely forgotten about the way I felt when I first came. I adapted to this unwholesome school lifestyle. My Christian morals started to fade away the more I seemed to “fit in”. God was constantly prominent at the Christian school but almost nonexistent at Rose Hill Middle School. Most of the kids I met there were atheists, and some made fun of religion. This made a big impact on my spiritual mindset. My family was pretty much dragging me to church during this period in my l...