Photo by Alabaster Co on Unsplash

My relationship with God started at an event that Catholic Christian Outreach hosted. It happened during my first few years of university.

The Summit was a night of prayer and worship. There was also a time for confession! I know confessing sins to a priest can be really intimidating. But in that particular moment I had courage to go: I think I was ready to repair my relationship with God.

I met an elderly priest. I can’t remember what my sins were—and let’s be honest, that might be a good thing. I did ask a question at the end, “Father, I want to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. Where do I start?”

He responded gently, “Read the Book of Psalms. Write down the verses that stand out to you and underline the ones that speak to you.”

“Great!” I exclaimed. Easy. I’ll get that done in a week and move on with my life.

Ha.

Little did I know that the Book of Psalms has 150 chapters. It’s more than a few pages. 

And so, over several months, I read the book of Psalms. Many verses stood out to me, including this one:

“I will walk with integrity of heart within my house” (Psalm 101:2). 

That verse spoke of being true to ourselves. Integrity means a lot to me. To do what you say and say what you do. I knew I had to change some things to live out a faithful life. That verse was underlined in my Bible 10 years ago!

Now later on that semester I went to another Summit. There I saw the elderly priest again. “Hey!” I called out to the volunteer who helped with the confession lines. “Can I go see him?”

So they sent me to the same priest. Again, I can’t remember what my sins were, and If I did I would not tell you. But I remember that he listened to my confession, forgave my sins, and then gently said at the end, ”To grow in your faith you can read the Book of Psalms.”

“Father!” I called out, this time more loudly. “I already did that! Remember me from the summer?”

He laughed, remembered our last confession, and we made a connection. This priest, Father Jim, eventually became a close spiritual friend.

I still read the Book of Psalms to this day. And let me tell you, it has helped me grow in my faith. There are verses for times of praise and joy, hardship and trial. They can apply to any season of life. Including when we ask the question, “Where can I begin my relationship with Jesus?”

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