“Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” –1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Hello everyone, my name is Satya Semenchalam, I live in Hillsboro, Oregon. I live here with my mom, dad, and little brother. I attend Valley Catholic Middle School and have been there ever since the third grade. Currently, I am in the eighth grade and will be graduating from middle school shortly. I have been accepted to Valley Catholic High School. As of right now my favorite thing to do is play soccer. I am on a spring team and my position is center back (that means I stop the other team from scoring). Another thing I enjoy doing is playing with my little brother. We have so much fun and I can’t imagine my life without him. My favorite thing to do is play a game called “King of the Couch”. Basically, you get on the couch and try to prevent the other person from getting on and pushing you off. I always end up winning because of the size and strength difference but my brother is always a good sport. In terms of my future let’s start with high school. For one, I hope to achieve greatness. Not the kind of greatness like getting all A’s or winning a championship, although that would be awesome, I want to achieve spiritual greatness. This means that I want to love my neighbor as myself and live out what First Corinthians told us.
I don’t know if you all know this but I had back surgery a year ago and it was really hard. I didn’t know if I was going to wake up or not, I didn’t know if the procedure was gonna be successful. I had to have a lot of faith. God led me to the path of greatness. He showed me how to be successful. And I was. The surgery went great and I am completely fine. The point is He showed me how to love myself even with a scar on my back. He showed me how to be resilient and rise up from the ashes. He showed me how to love others just as much as I loved myself.
I believe that God is the one who chooses my path and Jesus is the one who guides me along it. I think they work together as a team to make sure that everyone is happy and healthy. I believe I am on the right path and Jesus and God will work to keep me on it. Now, the Holy Spirit. Where does this come into play? To me, the holy spirit is a lightning rod. It is something that I can use to channel my prayer and thoughts. Dream with me a little. To me, I am a passenger on an airplane. The holy spirit is the seat belt. Jesus is the flight attendant and God is the pilot. Together, I have faith that they will lead me to the right path and to my destiny.
Baptism is an exciting thing. I never really understood it. When I was younger I thought Pastor Mark would put water on your face and then you were good to go. Now I know the real importance behind it. In my eyes, baptism is you choosing the faith. It is when you renounce evil and allow yourself to have a personal connection with Christ. Baptism is like purchasing your ticket. Bear with me I am gonna keep this example going. Baptism is setting yourself up to be on this path with God. It is allowing yourself to be saved and cleansed. God loves each and every one of us. I truly believe that. Whether you are Catholic, Lutheran, or even an atheist. God loves every last one of us. Baptism isn’t making God love you because he already does that. Baptism is allowing yourself to love God and realize his truth.
How do you live out the message of Jesus Christ? By doing what he did. Love your neighbor. Jesus loved all people, even those who hated him. With his dying breath, he still loved his haters. The people who wanted him dead, the people who hated his message. He loved all of them with all of his heart. The next thing you can do to be a follower of Christ is to be patient. Showing patience in everyday life is vital. Believe me, my little brother has three parents. He gets on my nerves so much. I have had to learn how to keep my calm. Know that my mom will handle it and that if I have patience and take a deep breath it will help de-escalate the situation. Jesus had patience. He knew that the world wasn’t going to be saved overnight. He trusted in God’s plan and so should you and I.
The mission of the church is to share the gift of Jesus. The church is like the name of the airline. For example, Alaska Airlines gives you the tools and resources you need to book a trip to a destination. Likewise, the church gives you the tools and resources you need to further your relationship with God. This mission of the church is to spread the good news of Christ and help you along your journey to everlasting salvation.
Christianity is a very complex subject. And I mean complicated. There are so many umbrellas of topics and subtopics it is very easy to get confused. I have a few questions to unpack. One of them is why did Jesus come when he did? Why did he come at that moment in time? Why not now? My second question is if God truly is all that we say he is, why does he allow horrible things to happen? Covid? Is it all just a part of his big plan? These are the questions that keep me up at night. I also wonder if it’s pronounced “God” or “Jod”?
I plan to continue the nature of my faith by becoming a part of the church. I will continue to live valiantly in my school community, practice patience in my home setting, and strive for excellence in my spiritual learning. These goals will help me further my relationship with God and his mission in me.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life is everlasting.
Amen.