I could not even begin to guess how many books I have read in my life. From the time I learned how to read, I was enthralled with immersing myself in another person's world... Every time I started a new book, I took on a different persona depending on who the most dominant female character was. Some days, I was a princess; other days, I was a spy or a thief. There was something about escaping the outside world that I just could not get enough of.
As I got older, I not only related to the characters, but I also learned from their triumphs and defeats. I think every person can think of a book or movie that they were able to reference in real life that saved them from making a huge mistake--I most definitely can! But although this was the case in almost every book I read, there is one book in particular that teaches me something new every single time I open it.
It was the first book I read, and it's my favorite book to date--it probably always will be. It has taught me about love, hate, fear, bravery, good, evil, and everything in between. It has shown me what "the road less traveled by" really is and how I should go about traveling upon it. This book is the very thing that has kept me sane and strong--it has delivered me through rough waters and shown me the good in every bad situation. And the best part is that the author is the most powerful, loving, unbelievably amazing being in the entire universe.
This book that has made such a difference in my life is The Holy Bible. I honestly don't remember the first story I heard from it or the first time I even knew what it was--it has just always been in my life, without a beginning or an end. From the day I came home from the hospital, my parents read stories to me and taught me all about this book each night before I went to bed. Therefore, it was the first book I ever read or heard of.
There are many reasons why this book means so much to me. I honestly don't think that I can truly explain all of those reasons in just one blog post, but I will attempt to highlight the most important ones. The first reason I want to highlight is that The Bible has taught me about where I come from. In this life, it is so easy to listen to people and believe them when they tell you that you are "not good enough," "not worthy," and "unlovable." I have been told countless times that I am not important or special, but that will never be something that I believe for more than a moment. The reason for this is that I know exactly where I come from and who I belong to thanks to the word of God. I have been told directly from God that I am His princess, His bride, the child of the one true King. I know that I am not only worthy and loveable but that I am worth dying for! I know that no matter what mistakes I make in my life, I will be made new each day and I will be redeemed.
The second way The Bible has changed my life is through the way it teaches me to be with the Lord every moment of every day. When you think about it, it seems rather silly to have a relationship with someone you have never even seen. That sounds like catfish... right? Well, let me just reassure you that my relationship with God and your relationship with God is nothing like that! Although I will never truly see God, there is no doubt in my mind that He is with me always. I can feel Him deep in my soul, and for me, that is all the proof I need that He exists. A good analogy for this is the way we know that the wind exists. You cannot actually see the wind, you can only see its effects such as a leaf blowing across a parking lot or a paper flying out of someone's hand. You will never actually see the wind itself, but you can feel it and see what it can do, so, therefore, you know that it is there. This is how God works and how I and so many others can have faith in Him. This is not always as easy as it sounds. I have gone through times in my life where I have cried out to God asking Him where the heck He is in all of the madness of the world and of my life. However, He never fails to show me that He was there all along, and the biggest way He shows me this is through His word.Whenever I am going through tough times, I will turn to The Bible and He will bring me to a passage that I can find meaning and comfort in. This could just be a coincidence, but it happens to me enough that I have now accepted that that is God's way of speaking to me and reminding me that our relationship is a real and tangible thing.
The final way this book has changed my life that I want to highlight is the way it has taught me to love others. If you ever sit down and actually read The Bible, even for just five minutes, you will inevitably see countless stories and passages about loving your neighbors, honoring your parents, loving God, and loving yourself. It is definitely not easy to love everyone in your life, especially those who make your life more difficult and painful. However, that is exactly what we are called to do! I have struggled just like everyone else with this, but God gives us a prime example of loving others no matter what through the story of His Son, Jesus. Not only did God send His only Son down to earth to show us the way to Heaven, but He gave Him up to be brutally tortured, taunted, and crucified so that we can be forgiven for all the horrible things we have done and will do in our lives. If that isn't love, I don't know what is! Jesus is the poster child for loving others--there is truly no deeper way to love and no greater sacrifice than to die for the people you love when they do not deserve it.
As you can see, this book has truly changed my life. I see The Holy Bible as a road map to my life--I cannot even begin to tell you all it has gotten me through! I wish that I could bring this book to every corner of the earth for others to read and to experience, and one day, I may just be able to do that by the grace and power of God. However, for now, I am just happy that I am able to testify the difference it can make in your life to this class.
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