My Spiritual Growth
Growing up, my equation for a “complete” life was this: a loving family, a caring group of friends, good academics, and some form of religion. That concept changed in the past few years as I have slowly understood the true meaning of Christianity. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Though I was born into a Christian family, I was completely indifferent and oblivious to Christianity’s supposed role in my life. It was nothing more than just a boring routine. Church every Sunday, youth group every Saturday. My family would have “Quiet Time” every morning before school; we would pray, read a few verses from Bible, then share what we learned out of the verses we’ve read. Despite all these, I never really understood what it meant to be Christian. It eventually felt forced as I was compelled to do spiritual activities without complaint, out of obedience to my parents.
In November 2012, I moved to the United States and went to Valley Christian High School (VCS). At first, coming to VCS was simply a necessary stepping stone for the next phase of my life. The school required students to take Bible classes and attend weekly chapel services. Bible verses were everywhere: displayed on the walls of the gym, classrooms, and bathrooms! I thought, “Here we go again” Little did I know that those two short years at VCS would revamp my life, help me mature as a Christian and as a person.
I clearly remember sitting in one of the chapels on a Wednesday afternoon. The speaker began the sermon with a series of questions that surprisingly directly related to the confusion and perplexity I was struggling with at that time. And when he asked, ”What does it mean to be a Christian?”, I knew God was trying to tell me something. Back then, I didn’t know why I was reading the Bible or praying every day. I was unsure of going to church and youth group every week. I didn’t want to be doing something that had no significant value - certainly, there was something more to Christianity. The speaker shared a Bible verse with us, Mark 8:34 in which Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Here, I realized that being a Christian is more than just the rituals of praying, reading the Bible, and going to church; it is about “denying ourselves and taking up the cross”, which means being willing to give up everything to follow Christ, a complete surrender to Him. This was something I never truly understood until that afternoon.
The past few years have been a spiritual roller coaster, especially since I moved to the United States. At first, I felt forced to come to VCS, because I thought that my life was perfect before I moved, and I didn’t want to escape my comfort zone. However, I am very thankful that God has led me to VCS and has allowed me to grow spiritually there. The weekly chapels had the most impact on me as a Christian. God seemed to always speak to me and rebuke me through these speakers.
Another chapel speaker who came to my high school was Nick Vujicic, the man who had no limbs. I felt really blessed after listening to his testimony. Even though Nick is limited physically, he seems to overflow spiritually – I could see his fire and willingness to do God’s work. At that moment, a single question loomed over my head,” What’s your excuse for not serving God?” Then I recalled the Word of God in James 2:17:” In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” This verse has significantly changed my perspective. As Christians, we have to show and declare our faith through our actions, not just words. Actions are evidence for our faith as believers in Christ. Nick’s testimony moved me further to do great things for God.
I took an Apologetics class the following year to learn more about Christianity and how to defend my faith. I also became more involved in the church, helping out with ushering, music, among others. I started spending more time on community service. Fixed is the mindset that faith without good works is dead. This is what it means to be a true born-again Christian who sincerely loves Christ. In this light, I believe Biola University can give me plenty of opportunities to be able to grow spiritually even more in Christ.
