Bethel Baptist Church will always be my home church. The church I come home to, the church I see my old friends at, the church I grew up learning from. I spent 13 years of my life within the walls of Bethel, listening to sermons, singing worships songs, attending AWANA, youth group and volunteering for vacation bible school. I appreciate my church for so many reasons, but above all, I appreciate the lessons it's taught me.
1. It taught me what legalism is and how it can be dangerous.
Bethel wasn't extremely strict compared to some churches or religions. Within faith, there is a freedom to choose. As Christians, the freedom to choose right from wrong helps us learn how to choose wisely. However, I won't lie in saying that many of the things I believed were taught to me without much explanation. Modesty is extremely important. It's most respectable to save your first kiss for your wedding day. Drinking is almost always wrong, unless you're Jesus. Children: obey. Wives: submit. Husbands: lead.
Church sometimes just felt like a bunch or rules. After attending my first year of college, I began to realize that learning why I believe things is sometimes more important than learning what to believe.
2. It gave me good, true friends.
The girls I grew up with at Bethel Baptist Church are my girls. They saw me as a kid. We played dress up, attended each other's birthday parties, talked about our first crushes and the many many crushes after that. We lived through each other's hard years and the middle school years of making bad decisions and finding ourselves. Because we had the common bond of Jesus, our best friendship grew far beyond just surface level. No matter where we are in live today, my girls and I will always care for each other.
3. It put a good head on my shoulders.
Hours and hours in the pews may have been long at time, but God's Word never returns void. Ain't that the truth! I learned the morals I have today because I grew up in a church with solid teaching. The Bible was always used as a primary source of reference. This taught me discernment. It prepared me for the real world, before I even got there. When it came time to make decisions on my own, I somewhat knew how, thanks to my home church Bethel.
4. It shielded me from heartbreak.
Maybe this is another legalistic aspect, but in my case, it did me good. I was taught that it was basically wrong to date a boy unless you were ready to marry him. Well at any age below college level, I wasn't ready to marry someone. This doesn't mean I didn't like boys and didn't secretly want a boyfriend. Who didn't at that age? But in the end, my convictions kept me from ever becoming too boy-crazy. Now I'm at the age where dating is for a purpose. I don't have to live with years of heartbreak. Bethel's teaching pulled me through the years where many face their biggest hardships untouched.
So thank you Bethel. Thank you to my pastors. Thank you to my mentors. Thank you to the Sunday school teachers that dealt with my shenanigans. Thank you to my best friends, you were there when no one else was. Thank you mom and dad for finding a great church. And thank you Lord for leading our family to the church that brought my life to where it is today.
