My FIRST MEMORIES evoke all kinds of shaping impressions – woven into the experiences of my life. Much of our shaping occurs in our early years under the influence of our parents or other special or present people. Our personality, level of security, sense of love, respect for others, acceptance, self-discipline – all are radically shaped by the age of 7 or so.
Which leads me to wrestle with a very personal question: where was God as I was growing up?
You don’t choose your birth family and start-up life circumstances. Some of us have secure backdrops for our upbringing and others are messy. The God Story indicates God is there from start to finish. He chooses your story beginnings to shape you for His purposes. I have concluded that human existence is messed up (in agreement with what the Bible teaches) and God has put into motion a plan which includes personal rescue of the soul – often at the expense of our earthly comfort or welfare.
I agree with the NEED for my rescue, and also embrace not only the “bad news” of my soul condition, but also the “Good News” of my rescue. I also choose to embrace a Creator Who is outside of time, and therefore Who has been there for me even before I entered this world. Psalm 139:1-18
I accept my upbringing (with both the good and the bad) as folding into the plan of God to prepare me for the story He has created for me.
Dave
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