Prideful in myself, that’s what I was. I was striving to be the best at everything, including my church life. My family and I went to church every Sunday, but to me, I was just doing something with my family and trying to answer all the questions in church classes on Sunday mornings. As I…
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Growing up, I was raised in a Catholic church. We attended services on Saturday nights, and I was in Confirmation classes through my church. I remember growing up and despising both of these activities, just waiting for the day that I would be confirmed so that I could move on and away from religion. I…
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Sports have played a big role in my life ever since kindergarten, when I joined my first soccer team. I quickly became a multiple sport athlete, and sports were the most important part of my life in middle school and high school. Another big part of my life we’re my two older brothers, Brad and…
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If you ask any Christian how they came to know Christ, you’ll get a different answer each time. God works in different ways with each and every person, and his work in my life has been no exception. I grew up in the stereotypical American Christian household, living in the suburbs with two parents, a…
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Growing up in a Christian home, I knew about God, but I never really understood what it meant to have a relationship with Him. I went on mission trips with my church, would occasionally pray, and was extremely involved in programs at church, but that was the extent of my faith. Over time, I began…
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In high school, I had a lot of security in my identity as a good person. I didn’t do a lot of the morally “bad” things that I watched the people around me slip into. I felt that I generally had my life together because I didn’t do those things and I took pride in…
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Ever since I was a kid, I was a perfectionist, whether that be in school, arts and crafts, or following the rules. Perfectionism ruled my life and caused me a lot of stress as I felt it a necessity to do everything perfectly. During my sophomore year of high school, I hit my first rough…
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Performance has always been an issue in my life. Having parents who are immigrants and being the first generation of my family to be born in the United States has had its challenges. Growing up, I was raised with a constant need to perform in academics and in my family. My goal was to be…
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Growing up, I often placed pressure on myself to be the most perfect version of myself I could be. Whether it was academic performance or relationships with my family or peers, I wanted my life to seem like I had everything together. I felt I could rely on my own knowledge and abilities to get…
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I grew up in a large family, and despite our size (or maybe because of it), I never felt truly known. This isolation left me feeling lonely and not truly loved. In 7th grade, I decided to go to a Christian Conference where I learned that God knew me and loved me and that He…
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