Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
Matthew 5:11

The situation gave us no choice, and yet I did not seem to regret a single moment of it. As minutes passed I caught myself completely immersed as I gazed at the woman before me. Am I not supposed to look away and stare at the window or anywhere else instead? I know I should… but somehow, I could not bring myself to do it.

Finally, after many failed attempts I averted my gaze, my vision now occupied by the changing sceneries as the bus advanced. I released a breath.

How long had it been since I've felt this way? I shut my eyes, seeking His voice out as I prayed. Lord, My Lord restrain me. Create in me a heart of wisdom. How must I respond?

As soon as we got down the vehicle Johanna waved at me goodbye, running for the university's gate in haste.  A wave of admiration washed over me, smiling as I watched the long raven strands that cascaded to her hips.

Is there anything else more attractive?

I tried my best to hide my face as I ran to the university’s gate. My, that was intense! My heart felt as if it was going to jump out of my chest. 

Why, though? Why does being near to him make me feel this way? I can’t possibly be attracted to him, can I?

“Hey girlfriend, how was yesterday?” My thoughts shifted back to reality as I heard Mercy’s voice. I anchored my gaze to her and was surprised to see how she seemed to be a completely different person. It was as if, her face glowed as she smiled.

“Uhm… It was fun! I met up with the most amazing people in the world! Hmm… Hey Mercy, you look beautiful today… it's like… there's this glow about you.”

“Oh…” I saw a smile form in her lips. “Well, it seems that nothing is impossible for God indeed.  Maybe… it’s His Presence that made the difference.” She replied as we began to walk.

“Fascinating," I breathed, my gaze still upon her as I spoke. "Well, I’m so, so glad. You don’t know how happy I am to see you like this.”

“Yeah…Thank you, for sharing Him with me. Now, I understand why you changed so fast. I’m so happy about it too… but-” Her expressions changed as she drew in a breath. “Is it true that, or, is it really necessary that others just decide to hate you when you become a Christian? Even if what you just did is follow Christ?”

Her question astounded me. What could she possibly have gone through that led her to ask such a question? I hadn’t thought about that myself, but her question reminded me of what Pastor Melchour preached yesterday afternoon.

“Oh… fascinating question," I mused as the thought of how my Aunt hates me now resurfaced in my mind.  “Y’know? That actually was the message yesterday afternoon, in the service Pastor Melchour quoted what Jesus said; ‘Blessed are you when people persecute you because of My name’s sake, for your reward in heaven is great’”

“Oh… I would really want to know more about that. Like seriously, why is the world’s system like this?”

“Actually, now that you’ve mentioned it I kind of want to know more about that too. You certainly have a point in asking that… but then, isn’t this scenario quite normal? The Bible did say that the world hated Christ even if all He did was good things so how much more for the people that follow His example?” I saw her nod as I continued to speak. And once more amazement overtook me as realized. Just last month we were talking to each other about drinks and such but now... we’re actually talking about Christ.

“Hmm… makes sense. Although, I have the feeling we have so much more to learn.”

“Well, I feel the same…” I gave her a quick hug as I went inside the classroom. “See you later Mer…”

“See you!”

I swiftly made my way to my assigned seat as I saw our instructor come in.

“Good morning! Okay, so let's get right into it! Our topic for today is really easy. And I can say that because I know for a fact that you’ve spoken about this in almost all the levels of your high school years.” The Professor began. “… It’s one of the most common speeches that you’ve tackled in the English subject. Anyone have any idea what I’m saying?”

“Informative?” One of the students replied.

“Nope, anyone else?”

“Persuasive?” Another guessed.

“Exactly! So what I want you to do in our session today is that I want you to create a persuasive speech that only lasts for 5 minutes, on ‘Methods on how to change the world’ in relation to our Program Theme. I’ll give you all ten minutes to do it; you’re college students so I guess you can handle that. I’ll assign fifteen people today to present their work and the others will present their work on our next session.”

The class all agreed and began to prepare for the given activity. The topic caught my interest instantly, methods to change the world? I have a lot of methods in mind but I know for sure there is that one method that would surely work.

Mercy's words just a few minutes ago flashed in my mind, taking with it the remembrance of the verse I have quoted.

I furrowed my brows in uncertainty. But would it be appropriate to say it in this class? What would my classmates think if I...

I shut my eyes, panic brewing as I acknowledged each minute that ticked by.

I drew in a breath. I am certain and fully convinced of this fact. Only He can truly change the world. Denying its due declaration would be cowardice. With this I took a pen in hand and began to write.

Lord, I don't know exactly what's gonna happen... But I want to acknowledge You. Please, please give me courage.

I was in the middle of writing the introduction of the speech when the teacher began to announce the names of the students that would present their work. “Okay! So first to present Miss Reyes, next Mister Lorenzo, third Miss Dumay….”

As soon as I heard my name nervosity claimed my heart. I frantically jot the words down in paper and to my relief; I finished at least three paragraphs before the instructor called the attention of the presenters. Once more the apprehension I felt doubled, intensifying as the first speaker walked to the front of the class.

After a few minutes of speaking, he finally went to his conclusion, and the next one followed quickly after him.

"Miss Johanna Dumay?" My gaze shot up as I heard my name. With a nod, I stood to my feet and made my way to the front of the class.

“Uhm…. G-good morning….” As much as I wanted to begin, the eyes that were all staring somehow made me feel weary.

“Anytime now dear…” I heard the Professor say.

“Yes, Sir…” I then turned to my classmates and began to speak.

Whatever may happen,  Lord, let Your will be done.

“There are actually many things I could think of that could be considered as a method to change the world. Many thoughts and concepts, many ideas but… I recently found out that, there’s just something missing." I came to a pause as I read through my notes,  "All of these are just a parcel of the only thing that could actually change the world. I have spent my life in doing nonsense … as some of you have probably noticed, I’ve done things that have no eternal value, I was basically on my way to completely destroying my life, but then something happened that turned my life upside down. It has really, from the core, changed me and I believe… that it also has the ability to change the world, let me rephrase, He’s the only One who has the ability to change the world. If, of course, we allow Him…” I stared at my classmates one by one as I saw them anticipate the conclusion of my speech.

“And that is…Jesus.”

As soon as I let His Name slip out of my mouth I heard a chuckle coming from the back, making my classmates turn to where the sound came from.

“Oh, come on really? You’ve turned all religious now Johanna? So what are you going to do, pray all day to change the world? You must be joking!” I felt my face heat up in shame as the other students began to laugh.

“Hey! Let her finish Mr. Lorenzo.” The professor rebuked and the class began to return to their silence.

“That is… my method of changing the world. I know, because if He had the ability to change someone such as me… I believe He can also change everyone in the world, if, and only if they allow Him to. You see, we may try all the methods and principles we have, but if the people are not changed for the better then our efforts are in vain. If we want to  change in the world, we must start at the very foundation of it…” I struggled to compose myself as I brought my speech to an end.
“—ourselves…”

Silence resounded in the room. I felt eyes looking at me as I made my way to my seat. I felt a mix of shame, fear,  and rejection. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wanted to cry, I wanted to run out of the room and hide, but I know I shouldn’t, I will stand up to what I have said. 

A verse kept repeating my mind as I kept my eyes closed… and even in the shame, I felt the Words of God slowly easing my heart, giving me the strength that I needed.

I’m with you, My child. Said a still small voice, without a shadow of a doubt, I know it was Him.

I then realized as I looked around me…
…this is just the beginning.