Throughout my life, I have had a few moments in which the Lord was so plainly visible that it was undeniable. It is easy to believe in Jesus in these moments, and they are beautiful and sometimes necessary to revitalize our spirituality. However, in the many moments between these experiences, there have also been times where Christ seems quiet, and it is difficult to believe that He is a present God.

There is a song that goes: “They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they will know we are Christians by our love!” The words of this song bring back memories of my childhood.

As I shared recently, peace is both something that Sacred Scripture calls us to pursue, but it is also a gift—something we freely receive. This past year, I have experienced this gift like never before.

On March 13, 2013, my fellow Girl Scouts and I crafted away in Mrs. Tanner’s classroom after a long day at school. Although I’m sure many of us (including myself to some degree) had no clue what was going on, let alone the gravity of such an event, we passively paid attention to the TV in the corner of the room waiting for white smoke.

Growing up, avoiding conflict seemed to be all that peace meant to me, or, maybe better put, peace was the absence of conflict, of fighting, and of violence. Peace was when it looked like everyone was getting along. Peace was when everyone was calm or had a smile on their face, whether that be genuine or not.

There’s a weird beauty in hardship—it’s a rollercoaster ride of hurting, healing, breaking and rebuilding. Obviously, I didn’t choose the battles I’ve experienced, but looking back I can say my hardships have brought many unexpected blessings.

Hope. A word that many of us, including myself, brush past all too easily. On religion tests in middle school and high school, it was not abnormal to be asked to list the theological virtues. I would robotically recall “faith, hope, and love” without thinking any more deeply about what those virtues entailed, implicated, or required. 

To most this just looks like an ordinary classroom, but to me this is Holy Ground. This is a testimony to the faithfulness of God as He perfectly oriented the events of my life to lead me here today.