Unspoken Truth

Every evening we take our children to the park before bed time. On Wednesday I ventured out myself because my husband had dental surgery and couldn't come. It gave me the opportunity to have a discussion with a woman I probably otherwise wouldn't have. We talked about motherhood, being military and a whole bunch of things. Somewhere in the conversation religion came up. She shared with me that if she had one wish for her son it would be not to raise him in naivety like her parents raised her. She was raised in a Christian church and sheltered from all other religions. She went on to share that she no longer attends any church, and when her son is old enough she will take him to all churches and let him decide for himself what, if anything, he wishes to believe in.

This isn't the first time I have met parents with this mind set. I think they have very good and honest intentions in raising their kids this way, but I think they don't realize the unspoken truth they are teaching their children by doing this. Children are these little blank slates we fill and color with our teachings. They don't come out of the womb knowing how the world works and how to respond to certain situations. We teach them that. Yes, we have a heart made for Christ but who directs the heart there? The parents. We also have a strong tendency towards sin. When we send our children into the world saying, "here, explore everything and find what works for you" we are really saying, "There is no truth. Nothing worth believing in, fighting for or loving. All paths lead to the same end." The common belief in today's world of cultural relativism is doing nothing more than confusing hearts that were made for Truth; and one Truth at that.

This conversation, of course, got me to thinking about my own upbringing. My parents never sheltered me from other religions. They didn't encourage me to go to any church I wanted either, but I knew what others believed. And when I did venture out as a teenager to explore other belief systems my parents were always there to answer EVERY question I had about my Catholic faith. If they didn't know the answer, we looked it up together. It wasn't about brainwashing me to believe whatever they believed in, it was about seeking truth. Finding what logically and contextually made sense. How many people do you know that have left the Catholic faith simply because there was no one there to answer the questions they had? Sadly, I know plenty. But this is why I continue to try and learn my faith and seek out Truth in all questions that arise in life. So that one day, I can answer those questions for my own children. My wish for them is that they grow up knowing that truth in this messed up world does exist and that He is worth living for.