“How’s your reading going Mariah?” I burst into tears.
I was doing the typical high school student thing, working last minute summer homework right before school started. Since I was “the designated baker” of the vacation group, I was put in charge of making some sort of dessert for everyone. Even though I was doing something I loved, the stress and regret of procrastination overcame me. For a moment I sat in silence, staring out of the window at the magnificent sunset. With my book half-closed in my right hand and my left hand clenched in a fist, I sat there choking back tears of failure. However, Tyler’s question snapped me back into reality and he offered peace in the midst of a storm. Tyler began discussing “Mere Christianity” with me, which is a dense philosophical text, and one of two of my summer readings I had to do. After a few exchanges, Tyler asked “What do you believe in?” I responded with what I had been taught to say, that Jesus Christ is my savior. That’s not what Tyler meant. He wanted to know what I thought of Jesus Christ in relation to everything in life. I soon realized that the simple question was not so easy to answer. Throughout high school it had been easy to mindlessly go through the motions, accepting my faith and beliefs passively, but not claiming them as my own. Growing up in a Christian school, going to church on Sundays, enjoying a supportive home life, and throwing myself into basketball every season, my life had been relatively good. It had been easy to accept what I believed and never question it. I had been a leader at school and was often sought out for advice, but that never really challenged my way of thinking. Suddenly, I had to choose what I believed – and more importantly, think about why. This had powerfully affected me in a way that has never happened before. I realized that I had just been nonchalantly going through the motions. Then Tyler said something to me that I will never forget. He said, “Why try to fit in and be someone you’re not, when you’re meant to stand out?” This went straight to my heart. In that moment I came to the realization that I needed to stop going through the motions, focusing on what other people thought about me, and I needed stop acting dumb to fit in. I came to the rude awakening that I need to be myself, try harder at school, and live up to all the potential that everyone sees I have.
That last week of my summer, left my life drastically changed. My eyes were opened. This just left plenty of improvement for the future and has left me giving it my all to major in business financing and entrepreneurship to start with, and which will give me a good base for what my future may bring. My dream is to open up a successful restaurant and carry on my father’s legacy of successful entrepreneurship.
No comments:
Post a Comment