Carefully Taught

All my life I have heard stories about Jesus.  Sometimes I have asked myself, what if non-believers are right, what if these stories are just made up.  What if Jesus’s miracles and his death and especially resurrection never actually happened?  What if my father and brother dedicated their lives to ministering from nothing but myth?  What if Santa Claus on his yearly treks from the North Pole at Christmas and Christ are on equal footing? When I asked those questions and yet feared them not, that’s when I appreciated the importance of indoctrination.  I have been carefully taught that original sin and redemption pretty much encompass the story of mankind. I have been carefully taught that the love of God is personal and universal and undergirds the structure of effective life and thought.  I have been carefully taught that forgiveness is essential.  I have been carefully taught that humility and generosity are big and that false pride and selfishness are small.  I have been carefully taught that there are verities that are eternal and are as accessible and real as dirt.  I have been carefully taught to respect the babe in a manger more than those relying for worth on the trappings of power.  I have been carefully taught that empathy is fundamental to intelligence.  I have been carefully taught that prayer from the faithful heart is not wasted breath.  I have been carefully taught that death while real is not for man the last word--but to allow for mystery, for realities only grasped in intimations forever beyond the reach of microscopes.  I have been carefully taught to value each day and hour—to live it committed to the lessons I have been carefully taught; and in this way to worship God, witness for Christ, and live in love a life of significance.  Someone so carefully taught cannot be expected to become a non-believer overnight. 

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