You know what they say about those preachers daughters right??? Well...I guess we tend to 'toe the line' a little more than your average girl, but I think the label we receive is a little harsh. Don't get me wrong, I'm no angel. I have been thinking a lot lately about how preachers kids view Christianity as opposed to someone who is new to the scene or was just raised in a Christian home. I don't think people really understand what it's like for the children of the 'Preacher Man.'
I do want to start off by saying that I was not raised in a stereotypical preachers home. My brother and I were not made to be 'freaks' at school in regards to our appearence or lack of social skills. We were preachers kids not home schooled. We played sports, went to dances, and had normal friends. Growing up a preachers kid, also taught us some valuable life skills. You learn to talk to everyone. My brother and I both are very good at engaging in conversations with just about anyone. We were also exposed to death at a very young age. My dad usually did the funerals so there we set front and center. I believe we were actually numb to the entire scene. We used to play in the coffee rooms of the funeral parlors seeing who could drink the most coffee.
The negatives of being a preachers kid actually come along later in life. You have been doing the dance for so long you begin to question what you really believe in. I grew up being made to do everything. I was made to sing or made to play a role in the Christmas play, made to wear a dress when I really wanted to dress like a hobo, made to sit up straight in the pew, made to wake up during communion when I fell asleep. You begin to resent the whole idea.
The older you get, you start to see your parents for who they are and their flaws become a hindrence in your growth as a believer. Again... this is not an attack on my parents. This is just a point of view as to why preachers kids stumble in their walk. When you as a preachers kid watch everyone attempt to model their families after yours and you know what goes on in your house, it kind of becomes humorous. You begin to feel like your entire family deserves an Academy Award.
Lets fast forward to adulthood. This is where it gets complicated. You have gone through the motions for so long, you're not sure you even know how to approach God Himself without your preachers family front on. Your sins have always been in secret because if anyone in the church would've found out, they may have decided to leave the church. You can probably name every book in the new and old testaments probably with a song, but you have never truely been touched by the words that are in them.
I love the Lord and I am just now trying to grasp the concept of 'unconditional love.' Preachers kids may be considered wild and 'toeing the line' but I can promise you one thing that's for sure... there is NO ONE harder on themselves when it comes to sin then them. We grow up hearing about an angry God that will throw us into the fire. We fear the book of Revelation like no one else and we are in a constant struggle to try and feel the presence of God in our lives. I believe we are the tormented ones. I know that God will take me "Just As I Am," but I have not yet learned to accept myself "Just As I Am."
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