Best Case Scenario by Molly

Best Case Scenario by Molly - February 2017 Scholarship Essay

It was a humid August day and the stress of returning to school was imminent. I vividly recall the day that my parents called me and my three sisters into the living room for an all too familiar and often dreaded family meeting. This assembly had a different vibe than usual, and I could tell that we were about to receive some sort of bad news. They started explaining how expensive the private school that we were attending was. I was a rising eighth grader at the time, and was looking forward to my second year at Westminster Christian Academy. I was close to tears when my mother delivered the news, “We are switching you guys to public school this year”. Private school had become too great of a financial burden, and it did not seem to be worth it, they explained. The safe, structured atmosphere of private school was all I had ever known, and the unknown was very intimidating. They went on to explain how we would still go to bible study and have our minds on God, as this was the main reason for us attending private school.
    My doubtful self began to examine the up-sides to my previous academic atmosphere. The habit of going to chapel every Thursday morning, and religious class every day during fourth period fed my hunger for religious knowledge as I was experiencing the hardships of adolescence. The ultimate philosophy of the school was to provide students with the structured knowledge and their version of the Christian religion. This seemed satisfying at the time, but as I ventured into a new chapter of my life, I recognized that this opinionated, filtered version of religion was just manufacturing students who believe they know all there is to know about the Bible.
    Throughout the school year, as I was adapting to the new situation, I realized a change in my identity. Previously, I felt myself conforming to the typical Christian who believed whatever my religion teacher taught me to believe. I found this mindset of other people telling me what to believe changing, as I became more independent as a whole. This new independence stemmed from the subtraction of a completely structured lifestyle that came with private school. I found that without a required education of the Bible, I was able to study my religion in a more practical way. This allowed me to  mature and become more independent in a way that I can now understand. I was able to create my own version of how a Christian should act, and examine what the Bible says without an outside influence. With this came the development of a stronger faith and relationship with God, along with a more real, truthful faith.
    Public school did come with its challenges, and the newfound strength in my faith aided me in my struggles, and still does today as a senior in high school, approaching college. For this reason, I am grateful for the opportunity I was given, when I received what I thought was the worst news of my life that turned into  best case scenario.