Reflections

 

When I shot this photo of a turtle, I only saw a turtle sunning on a tree in a pond. Now, as I look at this photo, I see the reflection showing another view of the turtle. This vision brought to mind of what is hidden in me. What made me who I am today? As I considered my question, many reflections of my life came to mind. 

My father was a man of faith and integrity. He taught us the Bible in our home. Our life was not to just live out life during the week and go to Sunday School on Sunday for instructions in good and bad. The Bible was read to us every day. We prayed together - each of us prayed after hearing Daddy read the Bible. He not only taught us the scripture, but his life reflected his faith and his love for God and his family. Seeing my father live out his faith was the beginning of my journey to become who I am today.

As I reflect on my childhood memories with my father, I will always remember that I wanted to be just like him. I would follow him walking through a field jumping from each imprint of his large feet to the next big imprint. Oh! How I wished to have legs as long as his to stride over the field so quickly. As I grew older, I desired to never do anything to disappoint him. I witnessed him live out his faith which gave me a desire to be like him.

There are a few things that stand out that I witnessed my father do. There was the time in the tobacco field that he lost his temper. He yelled at a young man which had made a mistake. My father walked away and returned minutes later. He apologized to the young man in front of all of us. Then, he gently led the young man away from the crowd of us to talk one on one. Another time in the field, I was learning how to drive a tractor and ran over a lot of tobacco. When my father came to check on me, I was crying while trying to pick up the stalks. He laughed. That laugh I love but this time it made me cry more as I apologized. He picked me up and placed me in seat of the tractor as he explained that we all make mistakes as we learn new things. We should never give up. Instead, we are to keep trying until we get it right. In the end, if we are to do things right, we must follow God's instructions. Through my father's example, I learned the importance of doing things God's way: admitting to my errors, be forgiving, hold no grudges, seek to see the good in everyone, don't judge by appearances, and follow the wisdom we find in God's Word. 

So, just what made me who I am today? Many things. However, as I reflect back on my life, those things I experienced in my childhood were only the beginnings. The lessons taught and the examples placed before me continued to help my in my life's journey.

"Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: Oh, let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalms 119: 9-11