I grew up going to a religious school from first grade through high school. All of my family and most of my friends practiced the same religion. As a child I was taught, and agreed, that I was in the one true religion.

Then, in high school I began to question some of the teachings. I had a religion teacher with whom I felt very comfortable, and I would have long talks with him about my doubts but was never truly satisfied with his answers. Some time later, I argued with another religion teacher as he tried to convince me of the church’s teachings, because in my heart I knew what he was telling me was not the truth. 

In my first year of college, I began a spiritual search and was very open to new ideas. It felt so freeing. I looked into many spiritual paths. I tried different forms of Eastern meditation and got involved in a group that had a specific spiritual practice with a teacher. I went on spiritual retreats and practiced fasting and daily meditation. I felt I was making progress in my spiritual quest, but after a while I found that I missed the Christian aspect of my previous beliefs. I had always loved Jesus, and his life and example were completely missing in these new teachings.