He made me believe in God

"Malalaman mo lang na mabait ang isang tao kapag nagdadasal ito."

That's what they always say. And Jermaine Enzo Castillo proves it true.

He's the man of God everyone knows at Skill Power Institute. Mabait. Matalino. Pogi. Matangkad. President ng Campus Ministry, lector every Sunday, rosary on his wrist, Bible in his bag. He doesn't preach. He doesn't judge. He just lives his faith quietly, consistently, without fail. People call him perfect.

Then there's me.

An atheist.
I don't believe in God. I believe in facts, in science, in things I can touch and prove. I stopped praying the day I realized no one was listening. I win debates, top classes, and question everything especially people like Jermaine.

We're total opposites. Fire and water. Faith and doubt.

We were never supposed to meet beyond group projects and passing glances. But God or fate, or whatever you want to call it has a sense of humor.

He doesn't try to convert me. He doesn't throw verses at me or tell me I'm wrong. He just stays kind. Stays patient. Stays Jermaine.

And slowly, I start noticing things. The way he gives without expecting. The way he forgives without keeping score. The way he carries his faith not like a weapon, but like a light.

This isn't a story about religion winning an argument.
This is a story about a boy who lived his faith so honestly, it made a nonbeliever look up.

Because sometimes, you don't find God in a church.
Sometimes, you find Him in a person.

And sometimes, the most unbelieving heart is the one He sends His best soldier to.

He made me believe in God.
But first, he made me believe in him