I was raised in a Christian home and cannot remember a time that I did not know about God. I was introduced to the Bible, Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, Noah & the Ark, all at a very young age--preschool. Even though we had Santa in our home, we knew that Christmas was Christ's birthday, that Jesus died on Good Friday and he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday.
I will share to different situations that really surprised me and made me even more appreciative of my Christian upbringing.
The first is from a tv show I was watching a few years ago. A little girl, about the age of 8 came home from school and asked her mommy if she believed in God. My first reaction was disbelief. Disbelief that a child of that age did not actually know if her mom believed in God. Her mom had never introduced God to her. How incredibly sad.
The next was about 3 years ago while at work. I was speaking with a co-worker about something that we were planning. As we were planning the date, I reminded her to keep in mind that Good Friday was coming up. Now this was a nice woman in her early 40's and she asked me what Good Friday was and then what Easter Sunday was. I am very good at hiding my reactions and I did not want to make her feel stupid or anything so I simply replied that Good Friday was the day Jesus was crucified and Easter was the day her rose from the dead. I just couldn't believe it and once again felt very sad for her. She explained to me that her parents were very anti-religion because their parents rammed it down their throats. So they weren't going to expose their children to it at all and if they were so inclined to do so, discover it on their own. I just couldn't believe it and one again felt so sad for her.
Sad for her but it made me very appreciative of the way I was raised. Grateful that my parents taught me these things at such a young age and I never, ever had to wonder what their beliefs were and that we could have good discussions about it. Yes, even at age 6, I was having these types of discussions. I went to Catholic School from kindergarten through High School and would love to sometimes discuss what I'd learned in school that day.
My dad died in 1988 but my mom is still alive. We don't hold all of the same religious views anymore but that's ok. She planted the seed in me. It is the greatest gift I have ever received. I have been through quite a bit in my life---starting in childhood. It is because of this "gift" called faith, that I was able to get through it all. It has carried me through everything--through all of my peaks and all of my many, many valleys. It remains the most precious and most important gift I own. It is the one gift that I can "regift" but still keep! No one can steal it from me and if I lose it, it won't be for very long because it will be right under my nose. It is the one gift that will last me a lifetime and that I cherish so very much.
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