Taken for Granted

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

I grew up in a church. As a result I have a foundation that I have taken for granted that others may not have. I admit I’ve never considered this until I was talking to seasoned Christians this weekend. I realized how different my perspective is from theirs. Even simple things like talking during a service, or getting up and down during worship or the preaching, or reverence for leadership.

I recognize they are little things that possibly I’ve never noticed in the past because I was in a larger building. I certainly know I have gotten up during a service to use the restroom or tend to a child. I have had my phone go off because I failed to put it on silent. I have even had to step out with calls due to being on call or an emergency situation. It helps that I sit in the front due to my own distractibility. And although I have had personal relationships with leadership, as a child there was a distance in age that led to honor and as I grew up there was some distance even in closer relationships. Maybe these things have always been there on more than occasion, but I didn’t notice because I was not in a position to notice them. In a smaller place, it is harder to ignore these activities.

I am grateful that a Godly foundation was laid before I ever really knew what storms were. I recognize it is hard to set a foundation in the midst of the storm. As adults storms are inevitable. As a child, I was given a firm foundation before I even understood what a foundation was, or that I would face storms. Again this is something I’m taking for granted because my foundation is strong.

I didn’t realize that there would be Christians who didn’t understand the reverential fear of God, honoring leaders, or the importance of prayer, Bible study, or obedience to God. These are things a strong foundation is built on, not something you learn during an occasional church service or possibly even regular attendance. They are in my mind, basic things my life is built upon that I learned as a child, things now taken for granted as to how I learned them.

Lord, thank You for opening my eyes to what I didn’t know. Help me to teach those things I have taken for granted to others. Not out of judgment but out of genuine love for You and for Your children. Your Word says the reverential fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Help me share this wisdom. In Jesus name, amen.