At 13, My Daughters Spiritual Autobiography

My daughter has given me permission to post a spiritual autobiography she completed for school last month.

CeCe at 12; photographer Phil Kramer

Written by CeCe
My religious heritage is Christianity. On my mothers side, my grandfather was raised Italian Catholic but his parents had only a moderate interest in their religion. Although they were very good people, they did not regularly attend church. My grandmother is a very dedicated Christian. She grew up in a very strong Pentecostal Christian family. Her father was originally an Italian Catholic but was saved and converted to become a Pentecostal. Once when he went to work someone put his bathroom stall on fire. He suffered the “consequences” of becoming a Pentecostal Christian in a culture that was not forgiving of religion changes. My great- grandparents stood for their faith and raised 11 children, including my grandmother, who were committed to their faith. My grandfather was saved shortly after my grandparents wed. In Christianity, when a person is saved they let Jesus into their heart and make a decision to serve Christ. My grandparents raised their children by Pentecostal standards. My mother has been raising me to love God and not only read His Word, but to live it. My mother and I attend church services once or twice a week. On my fathers side my family is mostly Christian.

I am a moderately spiritual person. I am not a super spiritual person who spends seven hours a day seeking Gods answer. I am still a child with other responsibilities. However, I do put aside time for God to speak to Him, even if it’s just a couple of minutes. Spirituality also has to do with ideas. An example of a spiritual idea is passion. When I play the violin I often become passionate about a song and I feel it illuminates my spirit. I am a religious person. Religion is like a guidebook. There are rules, an outline, and doctrine. Christianity’s rules come from the bible and the Ten Commandments. Christianity isn’t just about following rules. You can follow all the rules and still not go to heaven. What God wants is for you to love Him, to want Him, and to truly want to be like Him. If your actions don’t come from your heart they mean nothing. I believe in God and I believe that He died on the cross for us. I also believe that God loves us and forgives us if we ask Him. My views on God are quite simple; God is the only God and the only one who deserves to be worshipped. I believe that God is like a best friend and will be there for you no matter what.

No one really knows what God looks like. There is not an accurate picture on Google or Tumblr or anywhere else. But, I don’t need an image of God to believe in Him. I know He is here for me all the time. This is faith. God is powerful, God is spirit and God is a Father. He is known and defined as the Light. 1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. God appears in different forms. An example is when He appeared as a burning bush. Also He descended as a dove to Jesus when John baptized Jesus. God isn’t like a superhero with only one talent/power. He is omnipotent, able to do anything. He is omnipresent, he is everywhere all at the same time. He is omniscient, all knowing. He has given man the power to part a sea completely in half. He has given man the power to heal. I feel close to God every time I open my bible and start reading. I feel close to God when I pray and talk to Him and when I read the bible. I feel that this pleases Him. When I please Him I believe that we are really close, and I have given him a present. When I give him the present I feel His smile.

Everyday I try to live by certain values that will make me a better person. I try my best to live by the value of honesty. One of the most important things in life is to be honest all the time. Honesty is important because if you’re ever going to be in a relationship or get a job you have to build it on trust and honesty. I act on my values by trying to imply them to my life everyday. When I have a choice between the right and the wrong I sometimes make mistakes. But I always try to pick the right way. Some Quaker testimonies that are important to me are love, faith, creativity, confidence, freedom, integrity, loyalty, and hope. What gives me hope? That’s a tough and very detailed answer. I think hope means to yearn and dream for something. My family gives me hope everyday. Watching my baby cousin Benicio grow gives me hope. He was born 3 lbs. and 3 oz. and he has grown and fought to be where he is now, a very strong two year old. This fills me with hope. When I hope for something or hope for a change and I get discouraged I sometimes think of Benicio and his story.

No one keeps New Years Resolutions, including me. But I do set weekly, monthly, and long-term goals for myself to accomplish. For the next few months I would like to spend more time with my family and friends. Life is too short not to have strong relationships. Family is family no matter what, and they will always be there for you and you for them. My set goals for the next one to five years are, define my interests, choose a college, and travel to France when I graduate. I have been saving to go to France since I was little and I saw a picture of the Eiffel Tower. Ten years from now I will probably be in college, depending on my career choice. Twenty years from now I would like to have a defined and successful career, a husband and children. God will be in my future as I grow. I will continue to go to church and follow His Word. I believe that you’re never too old to love God.

‘CeCe’ does not attend a Christian school although she is in a Quaker school that is quick to respect different cultures and beliefs. I trust God will fix and engrave this share forever in her heart and I am standing on His Word, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Prov 22:6; NLT