Ms. C is Like Jesus To Me

Ms. C has been a massive influence in my life. Having known her for over a year now and looking back, I can see quite obviously that she has helped me become a better disciple of Jesus. She shows me how to be more like Jesus and helps me become a better person in more ways than one. It's a wonder what one year of intentional living, giving, and prayer will do for your spiritual growth.

With 2 degrees in Theology, Ms. C is a great wealth of knowledge. She has answered many questions that I have always been afraid to ask, out of embarrassment. Learning from her has been straightforward and she has always been open to questions from me. Aside from her book smarts, she has given me a lot of direction on how I could become a better disciple of Jesus. Pointing me here and there, her suggestions are often on-point.

One of the first things Ms. C did was open my eyes to the need to give to the poor. She shared with me her experiences working with the poor and it inspires me to do better, even if it means just a little bit. She likes to give money and gift cards, but I prefer to give food. To help her in her mission, I've decided that buying her food for her car to give away is easier and more intentional. One of the best items to buy would have to be the peanut butter crackers (your choice of brand). I guess at the end of the day, one could argue giving them money (and therefore freedom of choice) is better, but I prefer to give food or a combination of both. I ask that you prayerfully consider doing more charitable giving. Admittedly, I have some level of skepticism when I see people on the corner since I've seen and heard of people gaming the system. That's why I prefer to give food. At the end of the day, we don't know their story, and we are not the ones who are meant to judge them. I am continually challenged to empathize with them and to keep my mind open.

Being involved with the church through volunteering has been one of the best ways to grow in my faith. Being an active participant of the community has been a real grace in my life, and it's all thanks to Ms. C. She roped me into joining the Core Team at Christ the Redeemer in Houston. I didn't know what to expect when signing up to work with kiddos going through Confirmation, and even though I was hesitant, I went in with an open mind. My experiences with the Core Team and getting to know my 11 High School boys has been very fulfilling. Guiding them through their many weeks of learning (and sometimes even learning along with them) has taught me a lot. I often think about when I was in High School 10 years ago and what I was feeling back then. To help them learn, I try to focus on meeting them where they are. I hope that each time we meet, they are learning small bits that they will carry into their personal lives that foster them to become better people. Learning to meet them where they are has been an interesting exercise in my own growth, because empathy is becoming increasingly more important these days. I'm thankful Ms. C roped me into this and I'm incredibly grateful for opportunities like these. I definitely look forward to this two-year journey with those boys and heck, maybe it'll lead to another 2 years of volunteering!

Ms. C wanted me to try spiritual direction. I didn't really want to, but agreed to try it out. Having someone help you navigate your spirituality and foster its growth is infinitely more effective than doing it on your own. Who would have thought?! I decided that I'd write a whole separate blog post about this topic in the future, so I hope you stick around to read more. I actually started spiritual direction in July and after 6 months with my spiritual director, I've found more peace in my personal life with the ones I love, increased my time in prayer, and I've grown in my personal relationship with God. I know the journey is long and there is more to be done, but I can't help but feel so thankful that Ms. C put me on this path.

I've talked to Ms. C about giving more money to the church. Of course, she and I both give our time and talents, but I believe I'm in a financially sound place to give more money to the church, so I've decided to challenge myself with being more intentional with my giving and plan to put it into my 2020 budget.

I have so much more to grow in my faith. I recognize that. I know many of you out there are stronger in your faith and further in your journey than I am. You have a lot to say and a lot to teach. I'd love to hear your story!

We are meant to be good disciples of Jesus. Ms. C is like Jesus to me and I hope that I am like Jesus for her. Her encouragement of me and her invitations to do more has been nothing but positive. It simply starts with saying "Yes." We are often asked if we want to be more involved in the Church, so I challenge you to take more ownership of your spiritual growth and say "Yes" as many times as you can. Looking back at just 1 year, it's very apparent that I have grown immensely. I hope that you will challenge yourself a little more when opportunities come up in your life. If it's important to you, you'll find a way. Start small and you'll slowly find that you're capable of incredible things.

Do you have someone in your life that is trying to help you get to Heaven? And do you do this for others? Please share your stories with us!

-Mr. K

P.S. I hope you all have had a wonderful Advent. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and cheers to a Happy New Year!