Throughout my expedition with College Faith Journey, Alex Klare and I have reached out to a great deal of people asking them to write their very own testimony of faith. We challenged them to look at their lives and compile a piece of work that was filled with the glory of God, beauty of faith, and passion to grow closer in their relationship with Him. It has definitely been difficult and awkward to reach out to others to ask them to share why they love God. We challenged people to be vulnerable and to share with the world their reasoning for faith, but I failed to write a testimony myself. I have been struggling to write a testimony the entire time we have had this website. Unsure of where to begin, afraid to not tell the right story, and scared of being judged on what I planned to write. How hypocritical of me to make another do something I, myself have not yet done? So, after weeks of praying and days of thinking of what my story should be, I decided to just pray and write…
My name is Bryanna Urso I am 21-year-old female catholic women who is in her senior year of College at Allegheny a small school in the middle of PA. I was born and raised a catholic woman, going to CCD on Mondays, praying with my family daily, and attending church every Sunday. As I grew up, I learned countless stories about our Almighty Savor Jesus Christ and the mission He took up when coming to the world to save us from our sin. This is probably the point in my story where I should say I gave my life over to God when I took my oath in 8th Grade to be confirmed into the church and live out a life with God. I am honestly not sure I can say that is true. I feel that I knew my faith and I knew God was so real, but I don’t know if I truly gave my life over to God then. It led me to question how one truly knows they gave their life to God. So often throughout my days, weeks, and years of life I would wonder am I doing all possible to strengthen my relationship with God. I went through high school learning more about God and strengthening my relationship with Jesus. I attended a public school where many people did not share the same faith, values, and beliefs as me. This was a large challenge and I think more times than not I was defeated. I was scared in high school to be myself and openly share my faith to my friends and classmates. To be religious in high school, was basically committing social suicide, religion was laughed at and looked down upon by so many. I was challenged by God to stick up for my faith and for Him. I failed many times. Instead of sharing the Good News with many I kept to myself and remained scared of my own shadow.
Once graduating high school, I told myself things would be different. I wanted to go to college and be myself one hundred percent. I wanted to give my life fully over to God and I wanted to make sure I learned and lived out the catholic faith. I lied to myself yet again. My freshman year of college was very hard. I was tested morally, socially, and physically from day one. After the first couple weeks, I realized it might be a little more difficult to truly be myself than I thought. My fourth week into being a college student I was rushed to the hospital for two weeks with a very serious and rare medical condition. Sitting on the medical bed I was told If I didn’t come in, I would have been hours away from death, but for some reason God gave me another chance at life. God saved me, yet I was not thankful enough to devote my life to Him. Again, looking back, this is where I should have been able to truly give my life over to God. To go all in. To live out my life with God… and I failed. I went back to college and again was tested with social group statuses and fitting in. I was faithful and I definitely believed in God, but I did not know my religion. I did not know information about God, I had not read the bible, and I certainty did not talk to people outside of my family about my faith.
My sophomore year of College was different for me. I realized that I had to stop overthinking what others thought of me and to start focusing on God. I realized that no one is perfect and that giving your life over to God does not just happen in a second, but it takes a journey. God puts us all on this earth for a reason, He might be the only one to know that reason, but that is a reason that makes life worth living and that makes life worth living with God. My faith might not be perfect, I definitely stumble a lot, but I get back up with the help of God. I look at failure dead in the face and follow after Jesus and think not today Satan. “Get BEHIND ME SATAN!” Matthew 16:23 I might not have been a perfect catholic woman in middle school or high school, and I might not of realized the true beauty of a life with God my freshman year of college, but I did believe in Him.
Today I am lucky enough to see what a joy it is to be Loved by Him and to praise and worship Him. I have been confronted with Satan and the midst of my journey, but Jesus was the bright light standing there every step of the way saying “Come, FOLLOW ME.” Matthew 4:19 Jesus has been the truth, the way, and the light my entire life. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” John 14:6 It took me a while to truly understand my religion and to live out my faith, but I always did believe. Today, I am a proud catholic woman, a follower a faith, a preacher to my generation, and forever a child of God. When I am afraid of this world and feel completely alone in society, I remember I am never Alone. God is always with me.
Sometimes God puts us in places ALONE because He needs us to realize we do not need anybody but HIM!
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, “or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothes like one of these. But if God clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, “What will we eat” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 16:25-34