In these 31 Days of October I am unpacking my learning from the book, Braving The Wilderness, by Brené Brown. She has been a favorite author for years. In this new publication she manages to build a sidewalk and curb in the wilderness where we can bravely tread.
I was taught to worship at home by my mother. She was prayerful and faithful. Joining an American church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in Germany after World War II, took great courage. But, my family was divided. My father and oldest brother could not believe in God. This division had a great effect on my spiritual development. I felt I had to choose between my mother’s beliefs and my father’s doubts. In some ways I chose who I trusted and who I questioned.
Worshipping together as a family is the ideal and when the ideal cannot materialize our worship practice may either go into hiding or we could become very blatant and make sure everyone knows what we believe. To brave this wilderness of divided beliefs is exactly what Brené Brown talks about. Tomorrow I will unpack what the wilderness can be for you and me.
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That must have been hard to feel you had to choose between your mother and father's beliefs. I suppose there must have been advantages in that you had to think about it for yourself and work out what you believed instead of just accepting it because it was what your family did but it must have been challenging too.
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