Faith and Family

This is a pretty big topic, but I thought that I would write my first real post based on the things that are most important to me. These two words are often put together as part of a cheesy sermon title or some event for little kids. In my life, however, I have learned that they have had a much closer bond…
My first example comes from the moment I first professed my faith in Jesus. I was four years old, riding around on my favorite BigWheel. After one of my laps around the driveway, I went up to my mom and asked how to become a Christian. I hardly knew what that meant, to be honest I was only asking because I knew that Jesus was something my parents and brothers had that I didn’t. My need to be like my family spurred my desire to follow Christ. While the majority of Christians were not on their big wheel when making this decision, I have heard soo many people say that they had similar motives when becoming a Christ follower. Who says this innate desire to be like those we love changes? Or maybe it doesn’t. Maybe the turning point in one’s faith comes at the moment in which we love God more than our family. Is this when our faith becomes our own? When our mentality shifts from pursuing a lifestyle that is like someone(we love or respect) who follows Christ, to a lifestyle that is pursuing God himself?
I can only give more examples from my life. Seventh grade was the first time I really started to read the bible and pray on a consistent basis. Again, however, my motivation came from someone I looked up to—my youth pastor. He seemed like a Godly man, and I wanted to impress him and model my life after him, so I did what he suggested and had some quiet time every day. This continued through junior high and even into my sophomore year of high school. At this point, I was even in a position in which I was to teach others about God and expect them to understand what a relationship with Christ looks like. I even got the privilege to lead a few kids through some of the formalities of becoming saved. I knew then and continue to be thankful now that despite my small understanding of God, and their even smaller understanding, their names as well as mine are written in the lamb’s book of life forever.
I never really realized how much I modeled my faith after my brothers. We grew up doing everything together. This included growing in our faith. This was great in the fact that we could talk about our struggles and our victories almost daily. However, this also hindered me because I found myself not taking chances and missing many ministry opportunities just because I wanted to do what my brothers did.
Sophomore year my family moved from Kansas to Minnesota. We left both my brothers behind at college, I started in a new school, we lived in a new town, my dad had a new job, and my grandpa died all in the same year. Ya, it was a little stressful. It was the first time I couldn’t look to my brothers to boost my faith. My parents were grieving the loss of my grandfather while adjusting to a new town, and needed much more support than they could give at the time. The first couple weeks were hard. But very soon after the move, I realized that I didn’t need to feel broken or lonely. I had God. That sounds really cheesy and elementary, but God honestly took away any grief and loneliness I was feeling. It was the first time that I had felt God comforting me, and it was unlike anything that I could imagine. God gave me the strength to support my parents through their grief. Also, I was able to be there for my little sister when she was swimming in all the activity around her. I believe that during this time, I finally was able to say that I loved God not because my family loved him or because I had always been taught to do so, but because he is all that is love, all that is holy, and all that I need.
I still love talking with my family about Christ and how he is working in all of our lives. And I still ask them for advice on many of the things I do. I am so grateful to grow up in a Christian home. They provided me a place to nurture my faith until I realized that my relationship with God was only between him and me.