Through the course of the EACH (Everyone A Chance to Hear) the 2WordStory campaigns, I have encountered something I didn’t expect, Christians who have started doubting their relationship with God. I’m not talking about people giving up on their faith but people who are questioning how they came to faith. The doubts are more common among those who have grown up in the church and who had become Christians as children or teenagers.
These doubts seem to come up when Christians start thinking about their story, about how they came to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Those who grew up in the church sometimes believe that they don’t have a story, at least not a dramatic story like some who became Christians later in life. That can’t be further from the truth. Growing up in a Christian family and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is an exciting story of faith and obedience.
It’s important to remember that Jesus was obedient from a young age (Luke 2:51, 52) and that he grew up in a home with parents whom God considered to be righteous (Matthew 1:19; Luke 1:30). It certainly wasn’t a given that growing up Jewish in Jesus’ day made anyone righteous, just as growing up in a Christian home today doesn’t guarantee that kids become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. However, it certainly does help, which should encourage us even more to make our homes and home life more focused on God and his Word.
Regardless of what kind of home you grew up in, remember Jesus’ words in John 15:10, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” But do not confuse hearing and studying God’s Word for obedience. Paul writes in Romans 2:13: “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” If your story is one of faith and obedience passed down through generations, praise God and share your story!