Growing up, I was raised by a single mother of four and I was fortunate enough to have an extraordinary mother, who always put her children before herself and sacrificed a lot for our well being. I was brought up, in a Baptist Christian household, which has strongly influenced my beliefs, values and life decisions. My mother made it her duty to help build her children’s relationships with God. By making sure, we knew the importance of having him in our lives, and that we knew the word of God. I remember as a child, my mom use to read us scriptures from the bible and explain them to us in an age appropriate manner. I greatly appreciate her efforts because she was the force behind my connection with God and it has made me into the women I am today. Some …show more content…
core values that I have gained from being a Christian is faith, love, and kindness, which I believe are fundamental factors to having a satisfying life. In addition, to learning those values my mother installed some great lifelong lessons that I will never forget.
She educated us about our ancestor’s struggle, so we would always know who we are as well as where we came from. This was essential to my siblings and I being that, we are African American and must know how our history impacted society, so we could truly understand the way the world views our culture. My mom realized the significance of our history and didn’t want us to be unaware of our cultural background. In fact, she had the same ideology behind it as the Sankofa bird. The Sankofa is a mythical bird, throughout African- American history, that is always shown with its head facing backwards. This symbolizes that we must know our roots in order to understand our present and ensure our future (African American Studies Sankofa, 2015). When a person has self- awareness of their own culture it makes them capable of accepting different cultures. Cultural Self-Awareness is imperative because these standards and viewpoints help develop our perceptions and how the world may view it (Reiche, P. 5) Even though, we were knowledgeable about our ethnicity, my mom still didn’t want us to solely identity ourselves in that aspect. She felt that was only an exterior characteristic and it didn’t reflect who we were as
individuals. That’s why we were taught to respect people of all shapes, sizes, races, and walks of life, so with that being, said I am very acceptant to people that are different from me. I also think that being a Phoenix native has broaden my acceptance level because I was exposed to all kinds of races, cultures, and ethnicities This exposure has resulted in a positive experience, given that I have had the luxury to culture switch and comprehend new ways of life such as customs and traditions, so with knowing my roots and having the opportunity to cultural switch my cultural identity isn’t based on my race, which is what society may use to determine one’s cultural identity. In fact, society fails to mention to the truth about race. Many people don’t know that racial structure is not based on reality. Anthropologists have shown for many years now that there is no biological reality to human race. There are no major complex behaviors that directly correlate with what might be considered human “racial” characteristics (Sussman, P. 11). Therefore, my cultural identity is formulated on being a member of the human race and my willingness to embrace diversity. My mother more so focused on our self-identity than cultural identity. She taught us the value of loving ourselves by developing our self- esteem, purpose, and celebrating our individuality. That is was the reason behind the quote she continuously said during our childhood. “Don’t let anyone define you; you are your own person”. By conducting the interview with her, I discovered that she wanted us to disregard stereotypes or other people’s opinions of us because what we thought of ourselves is the only label that mattered. Furthermore, she knew that one of the most powerful things in life is your self-worth, in view of the fact that people take advantage of you when you don’t posses that quality. I can’t thank my mom enough for all she has done for me and I will be sure to carry on her legacy by sharing the same wisdom, values, and believes she established in me.
In this reflective piece I am going to answer the questions “why is it important to know the beliefs and tradition of those who came before us?” And “what could happen if we ignore the past?” I am going to answer these questions using the following passages Freedom Walkers, Jo Ann Robinson and I am a Native North American. I am also going to talk about how if we don't study the past, we can miss a big turning point in our lives.
My father had always pressured me to follow his religious beliefs and traditions. At first I was eager to attend his church sermons and Sunday school because it made me fell like I was pleasing my father and he would reward me with praise and ice creams on the drive home. But as I got older I started to realize that certain rules and regulations of the church were unnecessary and some were even ludicrous. For example, at the age of twelve my father had announced that we would discard our television because the church th...
Humans consistently make comparisons between themselves and the next person, over fashion, cars, jobs, the nation they belong to, religion, and the land they own. All of these are material things, yet their egos divide them into groups who feel superior to the other in order to pride themselves. Pride can be beneficial, but it has more detrimental effects than positive ones, as pride and ego make people feel more important to others, spark rivalries between groups such as how nationalism influences war and hatred, and caused white people to treat the black community as an inferior people such as in Maya Angelou’s memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this deeply frustrating yet inspiring text we follow Maya Angelou’s emotional roller coaster as she gains more confidence and pride in both herself and her race despite extensive setbacks such as being raped at eight years old, and she explains her
Maya Angelou’s excerpt from her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” reveals the challenges facing a young black girl in the south. The prologue of the book tells of a young Angelou in church trying to recite a poem she has forgotten. She describes the dress her grandmother has made her and imagines a day where she wakes up out of her black nightmare. Angelou was raised in a time where segregation and racism were prevalent in society. She uses repetition, diction, and themes to explore the struggle of a black girl while growing up. Angelou produces a feeling of compassion and poignancy within the reader by revealing racial stereotypes, appearance-related insecurities, and negative connotations associated with being a black girl. By doing this she forces the
It has been 20 years since my Mom went home with the Lord. I miss here every day but around Mother’s Day every year I still honor her for all of her sacrifices she made for our family. Look at all the Mothers in our lives, they sacrifice their needs for that of their children daily, just watch there is a mother to your children or your own mother, it is supernatural , It is the love of the Father, it is the way our creator made them. The great thing is it does not pass when your mother goes home with the Lord, it is still all around us to see and it is a great reminder of how our mothers were with us as children. I too honor my wife Melissa Arteman for your sacrificial love you show and teach our children every day, you truly are one of the
While I was worshipping God, my family came to mind. As I worshipped God for His faithfulness and goodness, I began to think about how my family may view God. A lot of my family members aren’t saved and don’t go to church. As I meditated on who God is, I couldn’t help but crave that same revelation for my family. I know that I fall in love with God more and more whenever I spend time with Him. I receive revelations of who He is and I desire to become more like Him the more time I spend with Him. I believe that as I was worshipping God, He gave me a strong desire in that moment to pray for my family. As I was prompted by the Holy Spirit, I began to pray for my family. I was praying that the Lord would send people to them. I began to pray Scripture over their lives and the situation. I ended my prayer with worshipping God and praising Him in advance for His work in them. I left with a peace that transcends a
I feel as though I have an interesting background as far as my Christian faith is concerned. I grew up in a household where my mother and I went to church every Sunday for most of my childhood, but my dad did not go. I could never figure out where he was on the religious spectrum, especially because my grandmother, his mother, puts some sort of religious packet in each of my birthday and Christmas cards. Religion is something that was also slightly shoved in my face, but only when it was felt to be necessary. As I grew older, we stopped going to church as often, and my mom would break out the bible to make me read it in the times I did things she didn’t agree with, sort of like a punishment. I have always believed in God and prayer though. I believe it is
I come from a long line of Southern Baptists. Everything revolved around God and family, and if one had both, they were golden. I was always encouraged to attend church, and while I’m not sure I really had no choice, that was what was expected of me. It’s not like I ever really paid attention though. Our church had these little sermon notes that I would draw on. That and my
Between the age of seven and eleven, I was present at church every Sunday. But, as soon as one 1:00 p.m. came around, I put God in my back pocket until next week. My 6th grade year, however, was an early turning point in my faith. I completed my church’s confirmation program, where I learned more about Christianity, but I still felt like there had to be more. During my 7th grade year, I started youth group. At the time, youth group was still something I felt like I was forced to do. I just wanted to stay home and watch the Sunday night football
I was born into a Christian family; my father was a non-practicing Catholic and my mother was a protestant. I was raised to belief in God. The Social and cultural effect of my spiritual development and religious experience. As an adult my spirituality has grown and changed throughout my life; these changes effected the many events, decisions and circumstances; in my life which have effect my spiritual development and my religious experience. I have substantively have brought an important, meaningful quality, meaning and solidity to my life. Through these experiences, I have gained a understanding in of God, my faith and my church.
As I was growing up , in a decent red brick house I always wanted to know what what was my cultural identity was . But never had a clew who i was taking after until i got older and really set back and thought about it. Like the way i was growing up prolly wasnt the same way my parents was raised , so now ima tell you about a young black kid who is trying to avoid the mistakes my father made growing up .
The way my mother and brother treated me made me feel stupid and I questioned where I belonged. My parents were considered Catholics but it was more for show than depth of being in a relationship with a loving God. My grandmother would take me to church if I had questions but then my mother would yell at her for taking me to church too much. “The main difference between “religion” and “relationship” is our approach or attitude.” (Wilhite, 2013, p. 21) Though my parents baptized me when I was a baby, they never discussed their faith with me, and I never really knew who Jesus really was until I was 23. “He is the only one who can separate the true from the false; he alone can purify the motives of the heart.”(Foster, 2001, p. 87) I always thought that my family was just like everyone else’s but then I met a girl in kindergarten who changed my
I have dealt with my Mom’s strong belief in the Christian Faith since from when I can remember. She grew up in a strict Christian household and has been a devoted follower all her life. She passed this strong belief onto my brother, my sister, and I. Right when I was born I was baptized and was plunged into catholic school for ten years starting at age five. My Mom never allowed me to switch schools. Growing up, I never thought of religion as a big deal or even something that I was interested in. Christianity was just something that was present in my everyday life and I learned to accept like I did doing chores and going to bed on time. When I realized how much of a hold it had on me in middle school, I began to dislike it and deny faith. I started to identify as an atheist after exploring the concept of religion.
From a very young age my parents ensured I was involved in church. As a confused girl searching for a connection the thought of a God who loved me and always watched over me was very appealing. I enjoyed going to church and prayed every night. As I got older and gained confidence in my identity I decided to put the questions to rest and enjoy my life. I put more effort in and attempted to have a better relationship with both of my parents. Being adopted played a large role in my belief and faith in God at a young age.
I was twelve when THAT happened. It was the last day of the one week vacation to the Sydney Harbour that blew our mind by its admiring beauty. We were driving back home, when my dad suddenly changed the route. “Where on Earth are we going?” I remember how I kept asking my dad with a surprising face, but he kept ignoring me as usual. We kept driving in a very high speed and suddenly stopped in a very populated place. As I got out of the car the cold morning breeze gushed through my hair, welcoming me to the paradise. I remember the scent of wild berries and eucalyptus that enhanced my senses by letting me to track down the location of paradise. Then THAT happened! Suddenly I caught my eye on THAT. “OH MY GOD!!!” I shouted as I saw the view that stole my eyes. As a person that come from another country, I felt so lucky to witness this view.