Nurture vs.Nature

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There is an age old debate regarding the human condition...

What makes us turn out the way we do? What defines our personalities? Our likes and dislikes? Our sense of humor?

Were we born with these traits? Destined by our DNA to become exactly who we are today?

Or are we born as blank slates, influenced solely by those around us? Nurtured or neglected, loved or reviled....does the environment in which we are raised dictate the people we become?

I don't pretend to know the answer to this...a little bit of both, I suspect. And, of course, the entire scope of the question changes when we consider God's omniscience and His eternal plan.

But I do know one thing...I wouldn't be who I am today without my family.

I recently read a blog written by a social worker. She spoke of children in the foster care system that are literally starting "from scratch." They have no real family, no support system, not even the fond childhood memories that you and I take for granted.

She asked the question...can a person start from scratch? Can a child's life be rebuilt on such a weak foundation?

Which makes me think of Luke and Evie. I think of my love for them, how brightly it burns. I see it in Chris' eyes as well whenever he looks at them. Then there are the grandparents, the great-grandparents, the uncles and aunts, and all the cousins.

A tapestry of love.

Oh, how blessed they truly are.

And that love can be traced back, generation upon generation...crossing over decades and sometime even family lines, in an intricate pattern of grace.

As a thread is chosen and examined, one might see a man on his knees in prayer...tearfully giving his life to Christ and promising to love his children, showing them the way to God's heart.

Another thread might reveal a young boy at church camp. Hearing the message of salvation and feeling the pull of the Holy Spirit, he stands and walks forward in what is to be the first stitch of his very own tapestry.

I was born into a Christian family.

Wrapped tightly in their loving hearts, how could I not see God? How could I deny the Creator of their love?

And how could I not share that love with my own children?

So the tapestry continues.

Oh sure, we each put our own unique patterns in there...some more unique than others. Every quirk and every passion influenced in some way by those before us, we become everything that we were created to be.

And the Great Weaver is pleased.



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