My Life Story: Reflections Upon My Religious Experiences

In some ways, my life history is very typical of someone who was born in the early 90s. In other ways, it is quite extraordinary. I was born in South Africa, during a particularly tumultuous time during that nations history. My father is a physician and is the director of ISN Medical; he in charge of the sale of medical devices and reagents in South Africa. My mother recently moved to North Carolina where she is currently practicing as a registered nurse. Thus it could be said that the practice of medicine and a commitment to caring for and serving others through the medical profession is in my DNA.

Given that my parents are busy medical professionals and are rather Type A personalities, this had an indelible impact upon my upbringing, despite the fact that to the outside world we might look like a fairly typical middle class family. I am the fourth, youngest child of our busy, bustling family. My father and mother ran our household not unlike a hospital unitwith strict, yet fair and exacting standards. Indeed, as an ex-seminarian, my father was very unsympathetic to the common teenage idea that sleeping late on weekends is acceptable or that it is occasionally permissible to slack on doing ones homework. Our 6:00 a.m. wakeup calls were non-negotiable, even during vacations.

Every day we were required to do something productive and useful, even if school was not in session. When I was younger, I wished to be able to waste time like my friends. But looking back, I am grateful for the discipline that was instilled within me. It has been very helpful for me on multiple occasions over the course of my life. I also appreciate the fact that my father had very high expectations of himself as well and imposed those same standards upon his family because he believed he had benefited from them as a young man. Similarly, my mother was capable of raising a large family yet also working as a nurse because of her dedication.

Faith was a very important part of our family life and integrated into our family routine in a positive way. Every morning we began by saying the Holy Rosary and Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary. My father and mother regularly attended morning mass if my mother was not on duty as a midwife at the Apostles Hospital nearby. Their personal example...…decision I would pray and seek guidance. God never steered me wrong.

Continuing my religious activities from college, I am currently an auxiliary member of the Legion of Mary and Alliance of the Two Hearts. In terms of the discernment process, or sense of vocation, I am still on a quest to understand my relationship with God. I feel very blessed to have had a strong sense of values instilled within me at a young age and would like to help others have that same sort of connection. Regardless of whether someones profession is secular or sacred, they can still use it as a source of devotion to God, I believe. I know that regardless of where my life will lead me in the future, so long as I am sincere in my faith and look to God for guidance without arrogance I will not be steered in the wrong way.

A journey of faith is always a difficult one. But it is always rewarding, more rewarding than an easier one of arrogance and self-satisfaction. Just like I was always encouraged to try to improve myself as a child through prayer, every day I am likewise seeking to become a better person in the eyes of…