Just last week I started teaching Young Family Sunday School at church. Since our population of children is small and ages range from six weeks old to 10 years old, we decided to teach both the child and the parents together. It's challenging but I pray that we're successful in growing the faith life of families.
As a starting point I had everyone draw on paper what God was to them. There were pictures of crosses, hearts, train tracks (a three year old drew that one), and a mountain (that was mine).
When it was my turn to explain my drawing I told everyone about my "a-ha" moment with God:
As a child I went to church with my family but sometime around the age of 13 science became my basis for the world. Everything in the world could be explained through science.
Then, the summer after my Freshman year of college, some old high school friends and I went white water rafting in North Creek, NY. We drove up there in a ridiculous storm that gave drivers inches of visibility and we crammed eight college kids into a motel room.
The rafting itself was lots of fun with plenty of bumps and people flying out of the boat. At the end of the trip down the river we came to this calm place where, after some hard paddling work, we could lay back and enjoy the view.
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| Hudson River, North Creek, NY, photographed by D.R. March |
Suddenly I had my "a-ha" moment. Somehow all of this, the people, the trees, the mountains, were all there for a reason. And the reason was . . . God? It wasn't easy to change my "scientific" rational mind to a God-based reality, but it happened. And, it started happening in that moment.
After that experience I found myself seeking out the Newman Club at NYU (the undergraduate Catholic club) and quickly became active in the Catholic Center at NYU. And now, eleven years later, I'm teaching Young Family Sunday School.
It's hard to explain what I saw and felt that day. But, I hope that someday you'll be able to see a mountain and see God the way I did.
Eternally yours,
Tu papa
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