Religion

Affirmation:  1. I live a Christ centered life of Love, Joy, Peace, Gratitude and Compassion.
2.  Because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I let go of fear and anxiety and fully trust in His loving care for me.

I am a cradle Catholic.  I think you would also call me a "cafeteria Catholic."  I have taken what works for me in my religion and let go of what does not.  I always credited my mother for this trait.  She is a convert and even when I was a little girl, she led me to believe everything I was being told, wasn't necessarily the only truth.  This has served me well.  It's a skill I have used not only with my faith, but in many areas of my life experiences. 
I mean, when you look at the Catholic church, there are so many zits.  At one time, I headed out to find another religion that would be more in line with my belief systems, like being an Episcopalian, or maybe a Unitarian but, I always found myself back at Mass.  I discovered I love the ritual.  I love going anywhere in the world and going to Mass and feeling at home.  I love the sacraments.  I love the Eucharist.  Yes, there is so much I do not love but none of that seems to matter lately.  It seems more important to me to focus on my relationship with God, in my case, my relationship with Jesus Christ. 
I live in the South, the Bible belt of our country and I must say, I had to decide quite soon after I got here, what I believed.  I decided I believe in Jesus Christ as God and Savior. 
I know for many, this kind of declaration comes easily.  They have been blessed with some sort of epiphany.  Not I.  My faith has grown very, very slowly.  I need to say the words in my affirmations to keep me in my conviction.  I have more questions than I will ever have answers but one of the women in my Small Christian Community once told me she didn't have any questions; she only had one answer, "Jesus."  Wow! 
I am aware of our different beliefs.  Sometimes, I think one of my problems is I fully accept most people's definition of God.  But, I've decided it doesn't matter what other people believe.  What seems most important is what I have decided to believe, what works for me.  And, I have decided to hunker-down and focus on Jesus Christ and simply let God do whatever work in me that He/She feels needs to be done.  I believe with every fiber of my being that by focusing on Christ throughout my day, I will live a life without fear and anxiety, my life will be filled with miracles, and that without struggle, it will be transformed in ways beyond my imagination.  I really do believe it, I really do.