What My Parent's Did To Me

Based on testimony from some of today's more sensational trials, you'd think that the popular thing is to blame your parents for the way you turned out as an adult. I guess I can do that, too.

From as far back as I can remember we were a religious family. I remember being taken to church at an early age, and being sent to Vacation Bible School. I think that was my mother's idea.

My impression of my father is that of being a spiritual seeker. He took us kids along on his spiritual journeys. After my 8th year, I grew up in the church. I don't think I really had a choice -- I went because we all went. My parents' faith was not just a Sunday thing, though, and they passed this devotion to God on to me.

What was the result? When I went through my teen years, I was filled with spiritual values. Thanks to the influence of my father, I was acutely aware of the need to have a right relationship with God, and to search for the true way to Him, not to just accept the easy or popular way. Due to my parents' influence, I've had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ for over 20 years. I've shared the Gospel on 3 continents.

I learned some "bad" things from them too. My father's outlook on life made me fairly tolerant of other faiths, which makes me too liberal for my fundamentalist friends. I have an understanding of the world and of other cultures that most of my peers don't have.

Yeah, I can blame them -- it was my parents who made me this way. Their example set the tone for my life. As a father myself who raised 4 kids, I hope my influence on mine could be like theirs on me.

My parents did very well. I thank God I had parents like them.