I am not Catholic, but I am a Christian.
 

I went to Catholic school as a child because my parents loved the discipline and education that Catholic schools tend to offer. It was a great experience for me. One that allowed me to learn about Catholicism and to really connect with my beliefs in God in a deeper way. Years later, especially recently with the visit of Pope Francis, I still reminisce about the times that I had in Catholic school. They tremendously shaped my beliefs as a person, especially when it comes to faith.
 

I’ve often heard, “It is in the darkness that faith sees best.” As much as I hate trials and challenges, I believe that faith has allowed me to believe and persevere through those dark moments.
 

It’s interesting because during the visit of Pope Francis, I felt that for a moment the world was in engulfing in this idea of faith. As many believe that the world is full of darkness, it was evident that his visit proved there is still so much good and so much faith available. The thing is…we as a society just have to believe and have the willingness to see it.
 

To me, faith is about believing. It’s about continuing to have hope, even when all things are going wrong. It’s about this idea that God is still for you and guiding you through the pain and darkness, even when you can’t always feel Him. That’s the message I felt that Pope Francis consistently shared with youth during his visit in the states.
 

I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy. I’m not going to be like, “Just do it.” I mean sure, it is easy when everything is going right, but what about when everything is going wrong? That’s usually when I want to throw in the towel, because I feel defeated. That’s usually when many of us throw in the towel, because life seems to hard.
 

Yet, at the end of the day (like Pope Francis reminded me through his visit), it’s when you want to give up that you have to consistently take hold of your faith and what you know to be true. We can’t give up on life when it gets hard. We can’t give up on ourselves when life doesn’t seem worth living. And we can’t give up on the goodness that we might fail to see in the darkness. We just can’t.
 

We have to have the faith to believe that we can use our lives to create change…to be the change that we wish to see.
 

Pope Francis has inspired me to keep believing and to cling to my faith. It is faith that helps us to overcome anything and everything. It’s in our darkness moments that we can realize God is in control, that we don’t need to feel so defeated because He is with us and empowering us along the way.
 

It’s during our trials that we learn to surrender, let our faith prevail, and use our lives to bit by bit begin to change our lives and the world in ways that we once could have only imagined.
 

When you’re in the dark, choose to have faith – despite everything. Choose to have hope. Choose to believe. Choose to see faith in the darkness. And when you overcome those dark moments, choose to use your experience to empower and encourage others.
 
 

Need A Massage? Learn How To Give One To Yourself And Your Loved Ones

5 months ago by Aaron 4 min read No comments

Receiving a massage, whether it’s given by someone else or self-administered, can help loosen your muscles and establish a better connection not only with your body but also with the people you love.