When Did You First Learn about God?
Julian Franklin of Lamoni, IA, USA
When your willingness to live in sacred community as Christ’s new creation exceeds your natural fear of spiritual and relational transformation, you will become who you are called to be. The rise of Zion the beautiful, the peaceful reign of Christ, awaits your whole-hearted response to the call to make and steadfastly hold to God’s covenant of peace in Jesus Christ. -Doctrine and Covenants 164:9b
As I read the Daily Bread for June 20, the reflection questions caught my attention. I found I couldn’t answer the question: How did you first learn about God? I contemplated but couldn’t pinpoint a moment. So I sent my mother the following text:
So reading the Daily Bread for today, the question was posed: When did you first learn about God? It got me to thinking, and I can’t think of a time of not knowing who God is. I know some of my earliest memories are Sunday school with the Anderson brothers and singing while they played guitar, the lady who gave us raisins while she told Bible stories, the Vacation Bible School where I spent the first half of the day in the first and second grade class until we passed the nursery and you saw me. Leaving the Atherton Congregation to “Redeemer of Israel” and going to an auction in the basement of the Odessa Congregation and Charlie Robison holding me on his lap and letting me bid for him while you took care of Ben. And all those memories happened when I was a year-and-a-half to four years old. But I already knew who God was. So my thought then was when did you start teaching me? How young was I when I first understood who God was?
Her response:
Teaching in some form began the day you were born. When you came home from the hospital, you struggled so much with sleeping that I’m sure hymn singing for lullabies began then. Your daddy and I read stories to you long before you were a year old. Prayer over meals began when you were old enough to sit in a highchair to be fed. I don’t remember now when we started bedtime prayers. As to how early you understood God, I have no idea. It was the same for me. I don’t ever remember not knowing about God because my parents taught me so young.
This made me think of Alma 26:52-62 and how blessed I am to have a mother like they did.
Prayer Phrase
Help us see beyond our dark places and find our way closer to your loving light.
Spiritual Practice
Healing for Broken Spirits
Begin with quiet prayer. Ask God to help you detect some “sore places” in the body of Christ and God’s creation. Become aware of people who feel separated, wounded, or left out. Reflect on or write a short journal entry of healing words to at least one person who comes to mind. Ask God for words that will touch this person’s broken spirit like healing ointment. Keep this person in your heart and prayers today and act on any ideas that come to bring blessing and wholeness.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
