Last year, I thought I would never speak to anyone in my church because I felt awkward speaking with other people my age. They stare at me and I stare back, but we never speak to each other. I didn’t think we had anything in common. I always thought if I spoke with these people, what would we speak about. Do we have any common goals? I have been going to Believers’ Temple Word Fellowship Youth Radical Chain-breakers for two years and I never thought I would never ever in a million years talk to anyone in that specific church. I thought I was different. I thought I wasn’t like any other teenager. We didn’t do the same things is what I thought. I thought most of the youth that went to church were forced to go to church and didn’t care about God. I thought my generation and I never had nothing in common, but that faithful day in October, God wanted me to try something different. It seems like he was trying to tell me that Christians are always alone, but not lonely. God always sends someone to speak to or he’ll speak to them.

I followed my ordinary routine, but there was something odd about this day. I can’t explain the oddness, but something felt different. When I walked into the youth church building Jameca and Andrea spoke to me.

Both said, “Hi! How are you today?”

I answered, “I’m fine and you?”

“Fine.” Jameca walks away to go to choir practice. Andrea and I was left to talk among each other.

“Hey, did you read the Revelations, Chapters 1 through 6 for bible trivia today?” Andrea asks.

“Not all of it. I have chapter six to read.”

“I have to read the last three chapters then I’ll be done.” We stop talking for about two minutes. Those two minutes felt like thirty minutes. It was awkward for us to make eye contact. She fumbles with her phone as she’s texting someone while I sit there, trying to read the last chapter that was assigned, so my team can win at Jeopardy. Andrea interrupts me and asks, “Hey, can we go in yet?”

“I think so. I guess I’ll go in first.” I walk into the youth church first with Andrea following close behind me. There are three columns of benches when you first walk in. One column on the left side, one on the right side and one in the middle. Andrea sat in the middle with me, but she’s five rows behind me while I’m in the very first row. “You’re in L.I.T. Why don’t you sit up in the first row like you’re supposed to?” I question.

She smiles a little and says, “Man, that’s too close. I feel comfortable back here.” I walk towards her and we move on to a different topic.

“I am always energized when I come to church. Church is a place where I can get some peace from my house, school, and drama,” I comment.

“Man, I feel the same. There’s something about church that makes you want to come back,” she said.

“God is in church. His love and presence makes you want to come back. You don’t want to disappoint God, so you come and be obedient. It’s also the fellowship. Being around people like you, but I feel sorry for those who don’t believe in God.”

“Girl, but you have to remember everyone used to be that way. It’s not that we didn’t love God or didn’t believe in him. We just said we’re doing me. We used to say I don’t want anyone to tell me what to do or how to live.”

“True. So true.”

“Sometimes when I’m at someone’s house or in the mall and hear a song I used to listen to, I’ll begin to dance and then I have to remember myself that I’m of God. Start to act like it. There’s a time for everything you know.”

We agreed on a lot that day and when church service started, we praised God, encouraged and prayed with another. As I left church service, I felt different. I realized that I’m not alone. That I’m not the only person walking the walk of Christ. The narrow and straight path to Heaven.