What Faith Is and Where It’s Bringing Us

I’ve noticed that when days get harder, so does reflection. On this third day of our trip I am having a hard time trying to understand what it is, exactly, that I am feeling. I’m caught up on faith and belief, where we stand now as a nation, and where we’re headed. 

I felt a mixture of admiration and fear as I heard Mr. Kirk Carrington talk about God and about how we’re all lost until we find Him. I was scared because I believe that a fundamental principle of faith is that it cannot he forced upon anyone. Mr Carrington’s assertive nature felt like it was crossing that line. But, ironically, I admired him for the same reason. His passion for and strength in God was so apparent and selfless that it was hard not to appreciate.

I came away from that conversation understanding the relationship one has with God as a symbol for the relationship one has with him or herself. We all need anchors of hope and of sustenance, and for people who don’t have anything, that hope needs to come from within. I’m incredibly privileged and have a family who has resources to ensure that I will always have hope. But I’m lucky. I am lucky. Mr. Carrington’s anchor lay in his faith and still does. And unlike mine, his anchor was a communal one. His anchor spear-headed a movement. His anchor will always be stronger than mine, because my anchor only serves me.

This is why community, even if this community doesn’t depend on religion, is what will continue movement. We have to feel responsible for each other and we have to love. I feel like we’re building that community on this trip, and this is a community that transcends race, geography, and everything else anybody could ever throw at us. 

-Xandi