Who Do You Believe? Day 3 of Handmade
DAY 3, OCTOBER 3
Believe
Do you believe this is true? It’s what A. W. Tozer said:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
I grew up believing in God. Both my parents believed. And practiced what they believed.
I think that’s what made the difference in my coming to belief so easily, too.
My dad was a favorite among the song leaders at our country church as I grew up. He sang what he believed. It helped me to believe.
As he got older, his faith shifted. It was okay. My faith has shifted, too.
When he died, one of the treasures I wanted was his leather-bound songbook, Songs of the Church, 1975 edition, that he often led singing with. I keep it front and center on our old piano.
I still flip through the hymns from time to time (even yesterday) and play a tune.
When my granddaughter was here a few weeks ago, she played her first song with it, too.
[if you can’t see the 13-second First Concert, click here]
If my daddy can see from heaven, I hope he was listening. He would have been pleased.
Here are our three questions of the day. Answer any or all.
(1) Did you grow up believing in God?
(2) Have your beliefs changed since childhood? A little, a lot, none?
(3) Who do you want to influence to believe in God?
* * *
What are your answers? Please share in the comments.
My answers:
(1) I grew up learning about God at home and in church.
(2) My faith shifts every few decades. I like to believe each shift brings me a little closer to Truth, Grace, Jesus.
(3) I want my kids and now my granddaughter to be strong believers.
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Love this continuing saga, Lisa! Answers: 1) I grew up in a Christian home believing in God, but saw Him through a distorted lens without a lot of grace or mercy for me if I messed up so my faith was performance driven since I learned that was how to gain acceptance in my home as well. 2) Yes, thankfully, they have grown and been infused with the truth of the gracious, merciful, loving God who has never considered my messes an impediment to loving me. I think I, too, have continued to grow more each decade in this lifelong process of transformation and sanctification. 3) I am grateful my adult children and grandchildren have all committed walks with Christ and I see my role as intercessor and strong encourager. I hope each time I meet someone or write a post that someone might be curious enough to discover the reason for the hope and light within me.
Our faith histories sound very similar, Pam! I also grew up believing about God, but not about his grace. Once I discovered that in my 20’s, it changed everything!
I still love the hymns too. They have a sense of timelessness, and I have determined recently that I need to be more intentional about including them in my daughter’s music vocabulary. I’ve been in church my whole life, and continue to grow in my faith. It’s all I want for her as well.
Your daughter is blessed to have a mother who is so intentional, Traci. Keep up the good work.
I don’t sing hymns very often anymore since my current church uses mostly contemporary songs, but I can drift back into a hymn in my mind with ease. 🙂
Yes, I grew up believing in God, as did my parents. they were both very active in the church. I don’t know that my faith has shifted over the years so much as it has been distilled. I think through reading, prayer, and studying, my faith is sharper, clearer today than it was when I was in my 20s.
I would like my family and friends, and maybe those who read my blog, to see the light of God through me.
We are blessed to have a heritage of faith behind us, Laurie. My parents and their parents all believed in God. I like your use of the word “distilled” to describe how your faith has evolved. I hope my faith continues to be distilled with each decade!
(1) I believed there was a God, but the church I grew up in painted Him more as an unapproachable God, not a God of love. I heard more about condemnation than about Jesus’ love. I was afraid God would in anger strike me down if I stepped one toenail out of the way of what the church said we should do or not do.
(2) My beliefs since my childhood have changed a LOT. I know now that God is love and He does not desire for anyone to perish. He has shown me more and more how deep His love for me is. Also how precious we are in His sight.
(3) I want my family and friends and all who I meet, whether online or in person, to see Jesus in me.
I love your granddaughter’s first concert! Thanks for the smiles! Love and hugs to you, Lisa!
I totally relate to what you’re saying, Trudy. As a child, I used to wake up scared to death if I heard a loud train whistle, fearing it was the Lord’s return and I would go straight to hell because I hadn’t been baptized yet. 😉 Thankfully, thankfully I finally learned about God’s GRACE and his LOVE. It changes everything, yes? Blessings to you, friend!
I grew up believing in God in a vague, general way. My parents were neither believers nor churchgoers, but they did let me attend with my aunt and grandfather. Their church taught that Christ died for the sins of the world and we needed to have faith, but it was all very nebulous. I did not learn that I personally needed to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus as my own Savior until the third grade when a friend at school invited me to meetings at her church. I prayed with someone, but because I was in and out of church and could not remember exactly what happened, I struggled with doubt for years (decades) until finally settling the question of whether or not I was truly a Christian.
Since everything was so uncertain spiritually as a child, I m glad my beliefs are much more clear, certain, and settled as an adult, thanks mainly to the habit of reading the Bible instilled in me as a teenager. Since early adulthood, I don’t think my major, basic beliefs have changed – who Jesus is, the trustworthiness of the Bible, salvation by grace through faith, etc. But I have realized that some important but lesser issues that a previous church made major issues really are lesser issues.
I want my kids and grandchild(ren) to be strong believers, too, as well as my extended family. I want to encourage them in their faith. I hope His light shines through me in everyday life, in conversation, in my blog and other writing.
Sorry to take up so much space in your comments the last couple of days. 🙂
I love how God can bring us to truth regardless of where we start out. It gives me hope that even for kids I know today who aren’t being taught specifically about God, they can still be drawn to him by someone else like you were…a relative or neighbor or friend. Thanks for sharing your story, Barbara. I always enjoy hearing another piece of your puzzle! Your light does shine for God.
Oh, and I always, always enjoy your comments, short or long. 🙂 No apologies needed for “taking up space.” It encourages me to read what you share, and I know it encourages others as well.
I learned about God at church and at home. One of my earliest memories is singing in children’s church the song, “Behold, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, knock, knock!” as we all enthusiastically banged on our metal folding chairs! It was long before I learned to open the door of my heart to Him.
My faith has grown much stronger over the years! Through every circumstance He has shown Himself faithful to me.
I hope to leave this legacy of faith to every generation I’m privileged to live long enough to see!
Oops! I meant to say “it WASN’T long before I learned to open the door of my heart to Him.
I don’t know that particular song, Jerralea, but it sounds like many that I sung as a child too. It’s funny how they get so rooted into our memories. And will probably be the last ones to leave. 🙂