Flashback

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to go to a ladies small group held at my friend Jill’s house. I was pretty excited because I'd heard a lot about it. One really nice thing about my job is that the 16th of April is like a holiday for us and we have the day off. So, with my holiday I decided to put a face to some names.

We were studying Paul’s analogy of running a race, of counting all things as loss, and of being partakers in Christ’s suffering. As you can imagine with many different personalities, life experiences, and levels of understanding of what it is to know Christ, we had a lot of discussion. I was able to watch as one woman, who is not completely convinced of Christ’s completeness for salvation, began to have the layers of doubt removed. I saw the look on Jill’s face as some questions were asked and answers given, that this was a step forward. It is so great to see God working in someone else’s life.

A woman who has been a Christian for a few years asked how she could show her kids who Christ is in a way they can understand and want to know Him. Some offered examples from how they raised their children. But prayer really accounted for most of the advice, understandably so.

I thought of my own upbringing. We didn't have any special time of day to sit and read the Bible, or even family devotions that I remember. We did have two parents who taught us right from wrong and a responsibility to the Creator. Everyday situations became lessons in life and what God expects from us. With five children there were plenty of opportunities to learn forgiveness, sharing, thoughtfulness, the importance of being truthful, and on and on, you get the picture. More than this, I saw my parents live their faith.

I remember my mother hosting a Bible study at our house when I was little. All the little ones would be asked to play in the other room and we were only to interrupt for emergencies. When things would start to come to a close, I would walk into the room and would see the pastry of the day partially eaten, lipstick marks on the coffee cups, and a strange aroma comprised of dessert, coffee, perfume, and gum. I could never understand why my mom would invite those people to our house to read the Bible. It all seemed so completely boring to me at the time.

Fast forward twenty some years ahead and now I was one of these women invading someone else’s house, drinking their coffee, eating their pastry, and annoying their children. I am excited for Jill and for all the women there that they have begun to be the example they so badly want to be. It is nice to know that the woman who wanted to know how to show her children the way to Christ had already begun to do so.

I’m thankful for my own upbringing and how truly blessed I am for it. I don’t mean to put a Norman Rockwell point of view on my family. I had some friends say that I make it sound like my family never fights or has disagreements. I laughed because I had no idea I do that. And no, my family is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. We are fallen sinners and we get on each other’s last nerve. But, we are forgiven fallen sinners that get on each other’s last nerve, and that makes all the difference.