What book has best influenced your life and why? by Grace

What book has best influenced your life and why? by Grace - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

Grace Ryan Cook
1415 Holly Hill Court
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Joncook14@bellsouth.net
770-362-2998
Varsity Tutors Scholarship
What book has best influenced your life and why?

I have always heard that the best selling book of all time is the Bible, and a quick search on the World Wide Web certainly provides the confirmation. Based on its influence on my own life, I am not at all surprised. The Bible is actually a collection of books which contains stories, history, poems, songs, and letters. One of the things in the Bible that inspires me is the encouragement to serve in my community. I have gained a valuable sense of worth from this wonderful book and t has encouraged me to treat others as I would want to be treated. These are the life lessons that have most influenced me from this ancient book.

Throughout my High School education, I have been very active serving in various ways in my community. I have participated in preparing meals for the homeless in Atlanta and care packages for soldiers serving throughout the world. I have volunteered as a camp counselor where the goal was to encourage children to see their importance and value in their community. I have spent time with children whose parents are incarcerated in local prisons. These children, through no fault of their own, are in a very sad situation, which teaches them to believe the worst about themselves. Lack of hope in a child will stifle their self-worth and affect their ambition to succeed. I believe when a child is taught these fundamental concepts of worth, his ability to excel is greatly increased, and he will be encouraged to show kindness to his friends and family, serve the less fortunate in his community, and see his potential for greater things to come. They have the potential to make a difference in their homes, schools, and communities, if they are taught they can do it. In one of the Biblical letters by Peter, he says “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another.” I have gifts and talents that allow me to serve well in my community.

Something else I have gained from the Bible is my sense of self-worth. I choose to take a positive outlook on life. Sure, there are times when I have struggled with sadness and I have certainly been discouraged, but the Bible teaches us to focus on the positive things in life. In the fourth chapter of Philippians, it instructs us to focus on the things that are positive, true, noble, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Whenever I feel sad or discouraged, there are many places in the Bible that remind me that I am not defined by my circumstances. I believe I am gifted with many talents and abilities by the God that created the Universe. I am not limited. With an attitude of worth, I know there are great things in store for me. This is what I enjoy teaching others as well. The children whose parents are in prison need to know they can overcome that situation. An attitude of self-worth will help them see a positive future and give them ambition to reach for it.

Finally, the Bible has inspired me to treat others as I would want to be treated myself. This Golden Rule is found in the seventh chapter of Matthew. I believe that if we would only consider this lesson more in our daily lives, the world would be such a better place. Instead of screaming insults at someone for making a mistake at school or at work, I choose to offer kindness because that is how I would want to be treated. When my neighbor is going through a difficult time, I will offer encouragement because I know that helps me when I am struggling. When a family member is sick or a friend has lost a loved one, I will offer comfort because that is exactly what I need when I experience those feelings.
The Bible has many lessons of instruction, wisdom, guidance that can be of great influence to us all. I have been influenced to treat people better, to serve my community with a positive attitude, and to approach life with confidence and self-worth. This has inspired me to seek a career where I can serve my fellow man full time. Specifically, I plan to seek a career in youth ministry because I want to teach children they are valuable and can be of great importance to people in their communities. This is why the Bible has influenced me more than any other book.