Owning It

My family grew up attending church and I went along for the ride.  My Dad was on the congregational board and when it came time to remodel the church he was their architect. I took the confirmation class, stood in front of the church, recited the correct words and became a member of my local congregation.  Church was just a part of our week and our world.  If you had asked me if I was a Christian I would have said yes.

But at age twenty I would have said I lied.

At twenty I had a serious illness and the prospect of dying before old age became a real possibility.  The cards I had thought I was dealt were no longer the ones I was holding and my expectations for life became a bit shaky.

I was a junior in college and now dealing with an upside down life.  My secular school provided little framework for dealing with life changing events.  They knew how to do the status quo, but please don’t rock the boat.

So I was adrift in uncharted waters knowing I was sinking, but didn’t know how to get to shore.

In the days before email and computers the way to disseminate information at college was through a college newspaper or a posting on several bulletin boards.  I saw a notice one day – Bible study, this Thursday, 7 pm.  I went.

There I met a girl named Terri.  Terri was not just acting Christian she was being Christian.  I had never met someone so in love with the Lord.  She beamed her contagious faith.  Her surrender to Christ seemed all-inclusive.  She wanted to do what God wanted her to do.  Grades, appearance, friends, etc. were all secondary to following Christ.  It was her love for Him and therefore her love for me that drew me close.  It was His hand hidden in hers that gave me the hope I needed.

The relationship with Christ I thought I had at church had now been found in this small Bible study. I began a journey of discovering who God is and who I am.  There I began to see the present day applications of those ancient stories.  I began to own my walk with Christ.  This group didn’t have all the answers, but they helped me begin to process my new look at life.

This became the start of my spiritual journey.  Does your family know your faith history?