Growing up I thought I lived the
definition of the all-American family -- with a little twist of awkwardness.
Let’s be honest being a preacher’s kid (PK) came with a whole set of stereotypes
and standards. And as a young girl who just desperately wanted to fit in and be
“normal” created some insecurities. I was
blessed with two loving parents, who loved God first and spent their lives
serving Him and others. As an adult, I can finally appreciate my “different” childhood
-- from morning devotionals with my dad, limited sleepovers, countless church
services – vacation bible schools and youth camps, spending the holidays
prepping for Christmas and Easter services and volunteering time to those in
need. I’m pretty sure I came out of the womb with John 3:16 memorized – “For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I mean I was a PK – I think
that is expected.
I was “saved” at a young age. I
was in church every time the doors were opened – it was hard not to know the
gospel. It was pretty simple, I knew that I was sinner and needed God’s love
and forgiveness. John 14:6 says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.” I truly believed this, but to be
completely honest – it wasn’t something I was very open about. I was definitely
not going to shout it from the mountain tops. It might have been a lack of
maturity – or that fact that it made me different, but I was a little timid in
my faith and my family’s solid devotion to living a faith-based life was a
little uncomfortable.
Regardless, I considered myself a
Christian, but to me it was something that I kept private. The opposite of how
my parents lived out their faith. In this quietness, I began to straddle the
fence – living in this world, not for God. I can now see how important it is to
surround yourself with other believers – it could be the difference of staying
focused on eternal things – or becoming of this temporal world. As any young
adult, I thought I was invincible, loving life – did what I wanted and had
successful plans for my life. I was still a believer in Christ, but I was young
– I had my whole life to be a good Christian and serve God and others, right?
Then my dad died very
unexpectedly in 2005 and my world came to a screeching halt. Job 1:21 says,
“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away…” Isn’t that the truth? I began to
question God’s goodness – because seriously how could He let something like
this happen to a man that dedicated his ENTIRE life to serving Him? That is
just wrong – or so I thought at the time.
It was in the years following my
father’s death that I discovered this new-found faith in God that I was definitely
not ashamed of – and was grateful that I had finally embraced this life
changing reality. Had it really taken the death of my father for me to
understand God’s love and that finally realize THIS life is definitely not the
end – and quite honestly just the beginning for those that find truth and
believe it wholeheartedly?
James 1:2-3 says, “Consider it
pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, and complete, note
lacking anything.” Over the years I have had my fair share of trials – broken
friendships, tragic deaths, lost jobs, and more. And in the moment of despair
when I felt like calling God out, “Really God, again?“ -- I am reminded of
Romans 8:28 that says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” In
hindsight, many of these trials have strengthened my faith and made me who I am
today. And the good news is that even in the midst of a broken and ever
changing world – God remains the same today, tomorrow and forever.
We all know that life on earth is
a little messy. I am a perfect example -- believe me when I say I have many
moments I am not proud of. You can ask my husband – I’m sure he’d share many
examples! The good news is that God loves me and has given me grace. That grace is from the
ultimate sacrifice He made -- sending his son Jesus to die on the cross to forgive us
of ALL of our sins. He has gone
before us to prepare a place in eternity called Heaven – where there is no
sadness, evil or sickness. Seriously this is deep stuff – and SO important for
us to know before it’s too late. It could be the difference of living in
eternity in the presence of God or separated from his goodness FOREVER.
Living a daily walk of faith in God -- in the
word, in prayer and in community with other believers is exactly where I want
and need to be. This my friends is NOT something
to live quietly for, but to share boldly for others to experience.
