Growing up, I wasn’t baptized and didn’t go to church.  Therefore, I had a lot of questions and misconceptions about God.  When I attended college, I majored in biology, and had a scientific mind-set.  “Show me the proof,” is a favorite phrase of non-believers in the science community, and this included me.

In college, I remember having feelings of despair.  I planned to be a doctor because I didn’t see the point of relationships or the meaning of life.   A mentor once told me, “All relationships end, one way or another.”  This seemed so cruel and unfair to me.  I mean, why get married, have children and have loved ones when we all just die in the end, anyway?  Why get close to anyone? I figured the best way to be happy in life was to accomplish professional success and help people at the same time.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I was missing the big picture. What my mentor said was only partially correct.  What she should have said was, “All relationships ON EARTH end, one way or another.”

I had a college roommate at that time, who was a born-again Christian. She was religious in a way that turned me off.  I expressed my thoughts to her, and she said, “Lisa, just pray for God to reveal himself to you.”  What did I have to lose?  So, I did…And He did.

Long story short, God entered my life with a bang.  Events occurred that could not be just coincidental.  Now, let me make it clear, it doesn’t stay that way when you are in it for the long haul.  But, I couldn’t believe how wrong I was.  For the first time, I understood what the fuss was about. Now, I believe in the Good News:  We can live forever with God and our loved ones for all eternity.

Also, around that time, I met Shawn, who was a Christian in a way that I’ve never seen expressed.  He was moral and deep, but no wimp.  He challenged me, “Have you ever actually read the Gospels?”  No, I hadn’t. The Gospels are the best kept secret of Christianity.  I don’t know how anyone can read the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the New Testament without utterly falling in love with Jesus.  If you haven’t read them, then you don’t know Christ.

I couldn’t understand why I kept trying to be perfect and good, but despite my efforts, kept failing.  I identified with Paul, who said, “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.” Romans 7:19. What I didn’t understand was that I was trying to be like God.  I was trying to be Christ-like.

During this time, I also read a lot of C.S. Lewis.   Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters–a few times each.  I discovered that if you like mystery, God is rich and full of it.  Try contemplating eternity, the trinity, original sin, the incarnation, evil, resurrection, transubstantiation, to name a few.  In my arrogance, I used to think that religious people were dependent and simple-minded.  To the contrary, people at the higher stages of faith are some of the most inspiring, intellectual, and fascinating people of whom I’ve ever met. Being in the presence of holiness is one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had.