My grandmother passed away just last year on December 26th. She was a very devout Christian who valued her family more than anything. When the pastor who led the celebration of her life asked my father and aunt for any bible of hers that she may have highlighted or written in the margins of, he greatly underestimated how much she loved the Lord. She had been studying the same Bible for all of the twenty years I had known the world and it was very well-worn. This bible the preacher held was bound by a rough cover that was nearly falling apart, the pages were crammed full of notes written in red colored-pencil and exorbitantly bookmarked with receipts or scraps from whatever paper she may have had nearby when the word of God struck her. I hope I can someday be half the lover and follower my grandmother was. Seeing a Bible I had known since I was little looked over with such reverie by a preacher who spoke at the church my grandmother had attended encouraged me to fill my own life with a love for my neighbors and for the Lord. My faith has ensured that my life remained full of hope and full of the wish to do selfless acts for even those I don’t know. I would love to have the opportunity to show others that everyone is loved, no matter how alone they may feel, and that faith can help a person keep their hope afloat when it seems as if the world is trying its hardest to pull them under. I try to use my faith to keep in mind that everyone has their own struggles, so we can’t look down on certain people based on just one short interaction. In fact, we shouldn’t judge anyone, however good a reason may seem to us. As John 8:7 says, “. . . He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” every single person on Earth is with sin and, therefore, has no right to judge another. Faith has followed me throughout my life, there to support me—without judgement or disdain—when I need it most. And I hope I can be there for others to offer a shoulder to lean on, to offer a friend who will not judge for what they may share, and to offer my faith and what it has offered me.