Winning Respect Life Essay by Jaden Shontz
By Jaden Shontz
Grace can be defined as God’s gift given to us without our meriting it. Grace fills us with God’s life and love and helps us live as God wants us to. I believe that if we embrace this gift, our hearts will be open to life.
Life isn’t always easy. It also isn’t easy for us to respect other’s life circumstances. We are all faced with our own set of challenges. Some challenges are more difficult than others. Some people suffer financially while others suffer with health issues, both physically and mentally. We must take the gift of grace that God gave us to face these challenges and live as God wants us to. How we deal with these challenges can ultimately determine how we open our hearts to life. As Christians, we believe human life is sacred from the very beginning because it is a creation from God from its beginning until its end. The unborn, the young, the old and the dying are all God’s children and should be treated respectfully.
As Jesus taught his disciples thousands of years ago, we as Christians have many responsibilities to our fellow man and the communities in which we live even though it may be difficult. Our belief in the dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic teaching. Those of us who are able-bodied should act as stewards of God’s gifts that are intended by God to benefit everyone. Acting as God’s stewards on earth can help open our hearts to life.
I have attended Catholic school since pre-school and have listened to my parents and teachers talk to me about helping the less fortunate. Now that I am twelve years old and in seventh grade, I am starting to understand that even as young as I am, I can still make a difference in other peoples’ lives. Recently, I had the chance to practice my own personal stewardship. My family and I “adopted” a local family that needed help during the Christmas season. Every year I also help deliver baskets to the less fortunate during the holiday season, with the Knights of Columbus. In the future, I plan to take my stewardship to a higher level by participating in more charity work, and hopefully I will be able to involve others to open their hearts to life.