Being faithful in college is essential to mental health

I open my eyes after listening to God.

As a child, I went with my mother to a small church to worship the Lord. I prayed every night as a little girl in the hope that my life would be spent knowing God’s will for me. My walk of life with God has been a true gift of heart.

True believers, spiritual or religious people and those who consider themselves secular or perhaps an atheist are present worldwide. Institutions and universities that place religion in high regard have worship services and prayer groups for students, because religious faith and spiritual well-being is not always a priority and is often misunderstood.

The college organizations, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Hillel, have been around for decades. Religious organizations hold meetings for peers to talk and share their beliefs. Hopkins provides the Hopkins Christian Fellowship where I am a prayer team leader. I attend Bible study and prayer group.

I am passionate about the word of God. A plenitude of literature uses religion to thematically support the narrative. Norman Mailer’s The Gospel According to the Son and Anne Rice’s The Young Messiah are excellent books influenced by Christianity.

Milton’s Paradise Lost, often taught in high schools and universities, invites readers to think about the epic, biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man. The classic work directly parallels the Books of Genesis and Revelations in the Bible.

I have published literature and art in many journals such as The Harvard Ichthus, Yale Logos, Brown University’s Cornerstone Magazine and The Hopkins Dialectic. Not a day passes by that I don’t think to honor my God. Every Sunday I sacrifice a part of my morning to devote to God. Every day I choose to reflect on God’s power working in my life.

Although I have believed that God has walked with me all my life, I must confess that my life is by no means perfect. I have suffered from heartbreak and recognize the real pain and hardship of social relations. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a relationship as “the way in which two or more people or things are connected, or the state of being connected.” Colleagues, acquaintances, family, friends and intimate lovers are distinct in their own way.

I have not always felt that God has been present all my life due to the fact that I believe I do not have successful relationships. In the summer of 2014, I was raped and sexually abused by someone who I honestly do not know at all.

I imagine it could be worse if I had a miscarriage or an abortion, which brings about a “right to life” issue in America, but I simply tolerate people who abuse me with their acts and mean words all the time. I do not impose self-victimization on myself, but every time I hear a mean voice, I assume it’s purposely bullying me.

One of the basic needs in a person’s life is a sense of love and belonging. Humans are naturally social creatures. Yet, God presents social differences that give rise to prejudice and hate toward some people — look at the Holocaust and the American Civil War. Consider the cliché phrase, “stranger danger.” It is very hard to get by without connecting with anyone. Similar to Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, my wish is that all people might get along well.

Taking a moment to reflect on religion brings a sense of joy and reminds me to be thankful. As a transfer student at Hopkins, I took a Near Eastern Studies course titled Prophecy in the Bible. It welcomed me to learn more about religion. I am thankful for a good professor, Theodore Lewis, who was awarded the 2016 Excellence in Faculty Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award sponsored by the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

The historical roots of religion are important to understanding why people believe in God. The early history of laws, prophets and covenants create a stepping stone. A Wake Forest University professor, Leann Pace, beautifully taught an introduction to the major religions, which sparked my curiosity in world issues like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Also World Religion Day is the third Sunday in January of each year and is intended to celebrate interfaith across nations. Besides my own religion that divides into complex branches, all people must have respect for international religions.

One summer I worked at a Duke program, and I went to a synagogue with my best friend, Rachel. I learned to read Hebrew in a prayer book and sang Jewish chants aloud. She also invited me to her Passover Seder. I learned about Judaism by reading a passage from a children’s book that alludes to the Exodus in the Old Testament when Moses goes down to Egypt to save God’s chosen people.

People in this world live to discover meaning and purpose. Having faith allows me to keep a good heart and mind. I live for the Creator and Maker of all things, who I know to be God.

Samantha Seto is a senior Writing Seminars major from Washington, D.C.