Most of us have grown up in households where Mom and Dad pretty much take care of things. They pay the mortgage, the bills, make sure broken appliances are fixed and the lawn is mowed (ok, maybe your brother mows the lawn). The point is, you get to enjoy the shelter and security (not to mention AC) that your parents provide with minimal effort on your part. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but my hunch is that if you were paying the mortgage, bills, etc., you’d care more about maintaining that house.
But, I don’t really want to talk about houses. I want to talk about faith; our personal relationship with God.
When it comes to your faith, do you own it yourself? Or, are you counting on mom and dad to pave the way?
What does it look like to own your faith, you may ask. Well…here what it DOES NOT look like:
- My parents are Christians, so I am too.
- We pray as a family, so that’s enough.
- I go to church because my parents make me, but at least I go.
- I wait for mom or dad to ask me about spending time with God before I do something about it.
- Mom and Dad give their tithe, so I don’t have to.
Here’s what it IS:
- I must make a decision to follow Christ apart from my parents.
- My prayer life is to be developed on my own, and in addition to family prayer and mealtime thanks.
- When I am at church, I am learning for the benefit of growing in my Christian life. If my parents didn’t make me go, I’d still go.
- I am seeking God through Bible reading, prayer, devotional books, website articles (*cough, cough*).
- When I make money, I gladly give my tithe to God, recognizing that He gave it to me in the first place.
Owning your faith recognizes that nothing that your parents do will count for your own belief or growth in God. Just because you may have Christian parents, does not make you a Christian. Belief in Jesus Christ as your savior and atonement for sin is a personal decision that you alone must make.
Beyond the decision to follow Christ, it is way too easy to think that you can slide by without any real effort on your part. But, that’s not true if you want to receive the fullest blessings that God has to offer!
When you go to college, who will be there to “check in” to make sure you are going to church or spending time with God? No one. You’ll be on your own, and forced choose: will you casually discard your faith, maintain it every once in a while, or own it?
Start owning your faith.
Romans 10:9
“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
by Susan Jones; copyright www.virtuousreality.com
