The Faith of My Childhood

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” —2 Timothy 3:14

✝️ Early Faith Traditions

When my siblings and I were children, our parents instilled some regular faith practices and family traditions that have stuck with us throughout our lives. For example, we always prayed at mealtime and at bedtime. At first, our prayers were rote ones:

“Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the birds that sing, thank you, God, for everything. Amen.”

“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul should keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take…”

While repetitive, they helped us to establish a habit of prayer, leading us to find our own words and pray at any time as we grew.

Another practice was that of singing Christian songs and hymns. Two of my favorites growing up were "Great is Thy Faithfulness," "How Great Thou Art," and "Jesus Never Fails." These were the more formal songs we sang in church, but my mom and sisters also played the piano or organ, so one of them would pop onto the piano, and we’d sing along to songs they knew how to play.

☀️ Summers of Faith: VBS, Sunday School, and Camp

Then there was Vacation Bible School (VBS). I don’t remember missing a summer for that. We had themes we’d follow with memory verses we would learn and a program to follow. Our parents and grandparents would generally attend if they could, and it was a fun time for us all.

Sunday School and church were also some things we never missed. Our parents made sure of that. In our teen years, we had Sunday night gatherings and enjoyed being with each other. I think my brothers and I made up the bulk of the group in our small town church, but there were usually several others, and we were close friends.

Finally, I will always have Camp Rock in my heart. I learned music that still fills my heart: songs like "Let the Lord Have His Way," the meal-time blessing song, "Come and Dine," and of course, who wouldn’t remember the 70s camp favorite, "Pass it On." We even honored those who provided meals for us on the last day of camp with a few choruses of "We Want a Cook’s Parade!"

But I would be remiss not to mention the quiet-time habits we established immediately in the morning and again before bedtime at camp. We met alone with God, again in our dorm groups, and as a whole camp group. It was the most meaningful time of my middle/teen years. The last day of camp always brought tears because of the new friends and relationships we made.

Ironically, my first year of camp was the same summer my daddy passed away. Perhaps that’s why the community of faith meant so much; it held me together when grief could have undone me.

👶 Passing Faith Forward to My Children

As parents, it was very important to us to pass these faith traditions on to our children. When they were young, I would sing the kids to sleep after praying at bedtime. We watched Billy Graham Crusades on TV. The kids went to VBS in the summer, just as we did.

But as they grew older, we spent a lot more time on the road for various activities and sometimes just didn’t make it to either a Sunday or a Wednesday night gathering. It became harder to get them to pray with us as teens and parents together because homework or sports kept us up or out late, and more and more, those evening prayers together ceased. I wish I had put more time into setting aside family prayer and devotion time. I hope God will forgive me for not trying harder.

Our kids did get family vacations that I will never regret, not Disney World or Hawaii or anywhere like that—Camp Judson, just across the state. We started taking them to Family Camp each year when they were in middle school, and not only did they get to meet other families and friends; they also met with their age groups and enjoyed hikes, activities, and gatherings with new friends. We went to Family Camp as long as our kids were home. They also attended Junior and Senior High camps during those years.

I truly believe they got as much or more out of those weeks at camp when they had an objective cabin counselor to talk with, instead of just mom or dad. There, they were free to share their hearts with others and create lifetime friendships.

✨ Lessons from Looking Back

As I look back over my life, I wonder if I should have done some things differently. I did learn how to speak out about my faith, although I wasn't always faithful in doing that when God had given me the chance. But I was always highly aware of my beliefs in Jesus and that He held my heart.

I really think that is because of the wonderful example of my parents and due to the timing of the loss of my daddy. Jesus was the one who held me together through what was the worst time in my life, and I knew how desperately I needed Him. Living my life without Daddy brought me great dependence on life with my Father in heaven.

And that’s why I felt I had a story to share. In my upcoming book, And the Sun Came Up: A True Story of Grief and Hope, I share my journey of loss and how God’s promises carried me through. Having faith traditions was those pushes I needed to move forward and out of the darkness.

✨ I pray this book reminds families that even in the darkest nights, light still returns.