“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” — Proverbs 27:19

I’ve always enjoyed learning about how the world works. So growing up, I spent a lot of time reading and studying science. Over time, I came to believe that a person’s values and meaning in life are relative and should be constructed by each individual as they see fit. And so I endeavored to construct these things for myself. This cut me off from the people around me. And yet, the things I craved most were human connection, community, and the chance to have loving relationships. The more I lived according to my own rules, the more lonely I became.

It was with this problem, which I couldn’t think myself out of, that I decided to go to church. I remember hearing a quote from Matthew where Christ says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” These words inspired me and I decided to put my faith in them. I started attending church each Sunday and joined a small group. This began a process of merging my love of reason with a life of faith. I’d like to say that faith came to me all at once, but in reality it took three years of reading, writing, and time spent in community. In all of that time, God was working in me: healing me, strengthening me, and transforming my view of the world.

If you are looking to follow Christ, I would encourage you to read that quote from Matthew. The path to faith might take a long time and involve significant sacrifice, but I can tell you that nothing is more worthwhile. In Christ there is a genuinely new life: one that involves real connection to other people, unconditional love, a meaningful existence, and the chance at redemption no matter who you are.