Growing up in  a Catholic home, all the choices were made for me. We went to mass on Sundays, we prayed the Rosary, I volunteered and church and we said our prayers before bed. I always enjoyed these things to a certain extent but they weren't my choices or decisions, they were my parents’.

I always recognized that one day I too would choose to make my faith my own. But in my head that was years down the line. I thought that at my age I wasn't responsible for taking my faith seriously. I thought that at my age all I had to do was go through the motions.

This resulted in me not understanding who Jesus truly was. I didn't realise he wanted a personal relationship with me, not only with my parents and older siblings. I couldn't understand that he wanted to meet me where I was at, even though I didn't feel good enough for him.

This all changed that on Ash Wednesday when I was 15. Just like every year, my father would encourage us and motivate us to take Lent seriously, and to grow in holiness through daily prayer. Every other year I had the mentality that this was meant for my older siblings, but this year was different. On the way home from school that day I can remember vividly the revelation, that Jesus was calling me to a personal relationship with him. I understood that my age was not an excuse to ignore the importance of the king. I was filled with excitement and pride. I was so excited to get to know Jesus. I realised that i could know him, just as I saw my parents and siblings did.

So that day, on the walk home from school. I wholeheartedly chose to put Jesus at the center of my life, and to embark on the journey to know him personally.

From that moment on. No longer were all the choices made for me. It was I who made them, and that made all the difference. My faith was now my own, and I can honestly say that I now have a personal relationship with my Lord. I have since the continued on the journey I began. It has not always been easy, but I know this is a journey worth travelling. Throught the struggles and the joys, I grow more and more closer to Jesus the further I go.