Teaching, hula hoops and childhood faith

Today: Psalm 70-73

Today is Mother's Day. And of all things, today I tried to teach my mother how to hula hoop. She works with elementary-aged kids who dared her--on the playground--to learn how. I hadn't hula hooped in about 20 years, but I picked up the hoop she brought home and found that surprisingly, I could still swing with the best of them! :) As I was instructing my mom, "You have to move your hips like this and keep your feet planted like that...", I thought about some of the many things she taught me (so far, anyway!).

My mom taught me how to sing. She taught me (and dozens of other kids!) how to read and how to write. She gave me life--but she also introduced me to some of the best things in my life. Perhaps most importantly, she and my Dad taught me about God.

Today my pastor prayed a prayer of salvation with people who invited God to lead their lives. He asked the congregation, "How many of you remember this moment in your own life?" I do. For me, that moment did not happen at a church altar in front of thousands of people. It happened on my front porch. It happened when I was a preschooler who said something like, "Mommy--I want to ask Jesus to live in my heart." That day, Mom led me in the most important prayer of my life.

I thought about that day and lessons from my parents when I saw David's words to God here:

You keep me going when times are tough—

my bedrock, God, since my childhood.

I've hung on you from the day of my birth,

the day you took me from the cradle;

I'll never run out of praise...

You got me when I was an unformed youth, God,

and taught me everything I know.

Now I'm telling the world your wonders;

I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray.

I realize that everyone reading this post may not identify with it or with my life story. And that's okay. The main point of this post (and this excerpt from the passage) is to confidently express the fact that God is Someone you can lean on--whether you start at 4 or 104!

Maybe no one told you that when you were a child. My Mom and Dad didn't know God until they were in their 20s...they were learning about Him as they were teaching me and my sisters. They taught us to trust in God and they also taught us to never stop learning. I am forever grateful. Free hula hoop lessons could never make up for that...but I'll keep teaching them anyway. :)

Tomorrow: Psalm 74-77