TAKE A LEAF OUT:
WHO INSPIRED YOU ON YOUR FAITH JOURNEY?
STORY 2
The person who inspired me in my faith journey is actually a group of people…
I grew up in a small church with four close friends who were a similar age. We didn’t go to the same school but lived in each other’s pockets, houses and lives. We knew everything about each other and experienced all the highs and lows of our different family lives, our different school experiences and personal circumstances.
All girls; one was the same age as me, another was a year older and the last two were a year younger. We were from three families whose parents were all friends and in the same church.
We discussed everything; our hopes, dreams, desires, faith (and sometimes lack of it.) We helped each other when life’s hurts came along and when things were going great.
We supported each other through primary school and into high school. When the usual teenage difficulties came along I had a group of young women who were there, experiencing similar things but sharing and journeying together.
We were a bit of a clique, we were called names for being Christians and we were often outsiders, I don’t think any of us were ever in with the ‘in’ crowd but most of the time we were ok with that because we had our gang. We liked different music, we wore different clothes and when others around us were experimenting with smoking, drugs and sex we didn’t feel the pressure to join in because we were already doing things differently.
These girls were there when I didn’t feel like God was anywhere, they inspired me to keep going and keep serving, we did bible studies together and prayed for one another. My teenage years would not have been the same without these young women around me and I’m so glad that we had each other.
We’re mostly still in touch and although we now live in four different areas, we continue to support each other. I remain forever grateful for each of them and the childhood we shared.