The company we keep

As I was listening to a portion of a monologue by Glenn Beck I was impressed by the honesty and humility by which he expressed himself concerning something quite ordinary. He was talking about a moment in his past after he had gotten his life on track. He had met a woman he was interested in and asked if she would consider marrying someone like him. She told him he lacked the spiritual qualities she was looking for in a husband, so her answer was that she would not.


Like most of us, he used every argument to prove her wrong but her main contention was that he was not going to church, not serving the lord in the smallest ways, not expressing his faith in a meaningful way. He told her, "I talk to my kids about God. We're spiritual!" So to prove the point he sat down with his two young daughters and asked them what words expressed what their life was all about. The words like fun, colorful, happy, etc came out in the discussion but he had to lead the conversation pretty directly to elicit any expression of spiritual character. “The next Sunday” he said, “we went to church.”

While I may not totally agree with his faith, I agree with the sentiment of faith having to be taught; actively, consistently, conscientiously, verbally taught. It is not adopted, understood or relevant absent a living practice in our daily lives. I have often told our children that, with reference to things not conducive to faith, what Mama and I do in moderation, our children will do to excess. If we relax our standards in any area, our children will fail to adopt that standard and its intent in ordering life toward a practice of faith.

Mama and I have not been perfect, but we have at least kept our children surrounded by people practicing their faith. We have been able to keep them in churches where a strong expression of living faith was evident in the lives of those we worshiped with. I believe it has made a difference and I commend Nate and Cori for their diligence in doing the same. Aesop was right, we are judged by the company we keep because we are influenced greatly by the company we keep.

Grandpa’s trip to West Virginia is almost official at this point. It has been off again on again for a couple days but I am in favor of the trip for a variety of reasons and realize the cost is not recoverable in the strictest sense of economics. I do think it is justified. I hope it will be profitable. I pray Grandpa will be ready. Mama feels a sense of urgency to be at the farm in Grandpa’s absence but Victoria and Grandma feel otherwise.

We are planning on being there the last week of February so everyone will have to hold the fort for the time Grandpa travels and shops.