DELAYED STARTS

I have given you a glimpse of this month's book club read in Saturday's post.

 

I gained a couple of blog topics which immediately hit me while reading this book.   I sometimes feel like a second class citizen spiritually.  I have many friends who were nurtured spiritually at the feet of their parents along with all the other lessons for living your best life.  They speak of nightly devotionals including prayer times.  They talk about the ongoing conversation surrounding God and Jesus which the family enjoyed.  They speak of learning to live the life as a Believer as they watched their parents.  My good friend and I discussed this and she coined the phrase "Catechized in the Word" .  We were either in a family who discussed the Word, attending worship and other programs, worked for the Kingdom or it was left to those who taught Sunday School, youth programs, and preached on Sunday to enrich us with the truth.  Our faith was to be grown in a few hours on Sunday.  I was raised in a home where it was left to these others to teach me.  When I think about it, it was also expected that I would learn all I needed to know about education at school.  I never remember once being read to, having help with homework, or even being questioned.  It was assumed others were imparting all I needed to know and I was doing my part.  THUS when I hear good friends talk about their familial catechism, it feels like I have a missing link.  I could not possibly be "as tuned in" to God since my "education" really only began as a young adult.  I was a second class citizen of the Kingdom of God.

As I talked this over with friends, they quickly reminded me where this was coming from---straight from the mouth of the enemy.  This book was a good reminder of how God can take someone who had virtually NO Christian education as a young person and even stated they were atheist and use them in a mighty way,  C.S. Lewis is one of the greatest Christian writers of all times.  His work is genius and touches young and old alike.  Mr. Lewis was highly educated by a father and mother who greatly valued secular education, but there was a big gap when it came to religion.  AND YET, God wooed Him, taught Him, and used Him a a mighty way.  I forget--I was successful with no help in my school education and later had a successful career.  And I am happy to say--with a delayed start, God has spent decades teaching me about Him and His ways.

Not unlike Moses who was out tending sheep for 40 years before God used Him to lead His people to the Promised Land, Mr. Lewis was used not as a young man.  He had lived a LOT of life before He came to faith.  AND THEN!  BUT GOD!  That should keep us all on our toes---God seems to enjoy using the senior citizens!

"He shall be to you a restorer of life

and a nourisher of your old age"

Ruth 4:15