Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
The above verse of scripture taken from Proverbs is self-explanatory, and I can honestly say I was blessed to have parents and grandparents who through their teachings and by their example helped me to build the strongest foundation anyone could ever have. The foundation on which I stand is that of the unshakable Lord Jesus Christ. When we are taught to love the Lord, put him first in our lives, be respectful, and live our lives righteously, even when we stray and we all do, the great lessons we were taught do not leave us.
My Mom was the disciplinarian in our home, and my Dad backed her one hundred percent. This created a united front that we as their children grew to respect and recognize as concrete. They taught us right from wrong, to respect our elders, and to do the right things in life. My grandparents loved us tremendously, and they too taught us many lessons. Whenever I had a problem I could go to my parents or grandparents to discuss it, and bank on the fact that I would leave with a feeling of peaceful resolve. I went to them time and time again with various issues, and each and every time they were able to help me. Their perfect record when it came to assisting me was made possible because their lessons and answers came directly from the Word of God.
Along with the lessons I learned at home and from my grandparents, I also learned a great deal via worship services, and church related activities. I attended a small church in Smyrna, Georgia from the time I was born until I was a teenager. I attended Sunday School, worship services, and Vacation Bible School. I was in the church choir, and sang duets with my twin sister beginning at age five. I also participated in plays, and any other activities that were made available to me. It was during this period of my life that I came to know Christ, and to accept him as my personal Lord and Savior. I was blessed with parents, grandparents, and an aunt who attended the same church, and exhibited for me in their everyday lives what it meant to be a Christian. I was surrounded by people who truly loved me, and they taught me so much, and the greatest of these teachings was to love the Lord, and to put him first in my life.
Things were going great for me into my teenage years, and my love for God continued to grow. A single phone call on the evening of March 2, 1978 at 9:30pm, however, drastically altered my life; a phone call I will never forget. This phone call was from my aunt, my mom's sister, and she had called to advise my mom that something was seriously wrong with my grandfather, their Daddy. My mom and dad rushed out the door, and headed to my grandparents home immediately after hanging up the phone. That instant I began thinking about the last visit I had made to my grandparents house. We had gone to visit them on Tuesday of that same week, and I had been in a less than pleasant mood because I wanted to do something else that day. I wasn't disrespectful to them, but it was more than likely obvious that I wasn't happy for some reason. My grandfather meant a great deal to me, and I loved him dearly. As the thought of my last visit raced through my mind, I rushed to the bathroom of our home, and I hit my knees. I literally begged God to at least let my grandfather live long enough for me to see him one more time so I could tell him how much I loved him, appreciated him, respected him, and how much he meant to me.
I felt confident that God would answer my prayer because after all, I had been living right, attending church, Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, loved the Lord, and was doing my very best to walk in obedience to him. A few hours later my parents returned home, and my mom was draped in what I recognized as the quilt that my grandparents kept on their bed. I glanced at her and without saying a word she gave me a nod that let me know my prayer had gone unanswered. My grandfather passed away, and I never got the opportunity I had so desperately begged God for.
I became bitter and angry at God, and full of questions. How could God do this to me? Why hadn't God given me the chance to see my grandfather alive one more time? How could a God that loves me so much have let this happen, when I was doing all I could to walk in obedience to him? I allowed my bitterness, confusion, and anger to consume me, and I strayed from my walk with God. I began going out to parties, going to places I would have never gone before, hanging out with people who were negative influences on my life, and I began to drink on a regular basis. My parents did all that was humanly possible to discourage and correct my behavior, but through it all I remained on a self-destructive course that lasted a number of years.
It was along this course of self-destruction that I came to realize how strong the foundation my parents and grandparents had led me to truly was. No matter how much I drank, where I went, who I was with, or any other factor the Holy Spirit was with me. I had absolutely no peace, no happiness, and no fulfillment of any sort. Misery, unrest, discontent, sadness, grief, loneliness, anger, and bitterness had replaced the peace, comfort and happiness I once knew. I was under constant conviction by the Holy Spirit, and let me tell you it was torture.
Because of all I had been taught, and all that had been demonstrated to me by my parents and grandparents, the most important of the things being to love the Lord, I wound up back on my knees. I asked God to forgive me for all the anger and bitterness I had carried for all those years, I asked him to forgive me for all the sins I had committed and I repented of those sins, and I thanked him for watching over me throughout it all. I thanked him for his forgiveness, and for loving me when I didn't deserve it, and a relief and peace came over me at that instant that words could never do justice.
I urge you to help your children and grandchildren build the greatest foundation possible, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. As you see by my testimony when they have been taught what it means to truly love the Lord and to live in obedience to him, when they have accepted him as their personal Savior, and they have felt the happiness, peace, and comfort that comes along with that, they will carry him with them wherever they go. If they stray they will never do so without feeling drawn by the Holy Spirit to get back on the path of obedience to Almighty God. I can tell you firsthand that out of all the things my parents and grandparents did for me growing up, teaching me and demonstrating for me the love and power of God is the greatest of them all.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
