Change Comes From Authenticity and Conversation by Abby

Change Comes From Authenticity and Conversation by Abby - November 2019 Scholarship Essay

Mark is viewed by many as a troublemaker. He was known for partying and generally not caring much about school. However, I didn’t realize this on my first day in AP Statistics. Since I was one of the few juniors in a senior class, I sat in the front, not knowing anyone. Mark came in and sat one seat in front of me. Little did I know this seating arrangement would allow me to share my faith, along with many heartfelt conversations.
One day, he asked if he could ask me a few questions. Me being me, I said, of course, “If Jesus hung out with sinners, why don’t you go to parties? Didn’t Jesus basically do that when he hung out with the tax collectors and sinners?” At first, I was nervous talking about why I don’t go to parties and do all the things high schoolers crave, with my classmates listening in on the conversation. Yet, God provided the answer to me, and I responded, “Jesus is perfect. I am not. Jesus hung out with sinners because he knew he would not fall into temptation. I, on the other hand, need Jesus because I am sinful and likely to fall into temptation and to be deceived”.
Over the school year, he continued to ask me about my faith and morality. And with every question God allowed me to provide a biblical response. Once our conversations were coming to a close, he told me, “I have tried to ask a lot of people these questions before, and they couldn’t give me a response that actually made sense to me. When you talk to me, I know why you make the choices you do.”
This is just one of the many ways I’ve enjoyed engaging with my faith in an intellectual and empathetic way. There was another instance of this with a student I was tutoring from Peru. One night she asked if she could ask me a few questions. “Why do you believe what you believe? How do you know God is real?” Again, despite initial doubt, God provided the answer the same way he did before. I responded, “You know how we can’t see the wind, but we can see the results of it? I picture God as if he is the wind. I can’t see him with my mortal eyes, but I can see the result of what he is doing in my life, and I know by what he has done, it could be no other but Him.”
These are some instances when God chose to use me in a situation I would have never thought would occur. I love engaging with people and sharing my beliefs. I believe God has placed these situations, and many more in my life, to prepare me for the career I have dreamed of since I was little--teaching all nations. These situations will allow me to share my faith in the classroom and truly let Christ’s light shine through me.