Igrew up in a small town. No famous people. No busy streets. Not much to do. Yet I’ve always been thankful for my quiet, uncomplicated upbringing.

One evening when my husband and I were attending a business dinner, a new acquaintance asked me where I was from. When I told her, she said, “Aren’t you embarrassed to admit it?”

Unsure whether or not she was joking, I simply said, “No.”

Although my town was sometimes laughed at, it was not lacking in things that matter. My family was part of a church community in which parents brought up children “in the training and [ways] of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4).

Jesus also grew up in a small town: Nazareth. A man named Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). Jesus proved that the answer is yes. Even though He grew up in an insignificant place, He was the most significant person in all of history.

Experience taught me, and Scripture confirms, that what matters is not where you grow up but how you grow up. Sometimes we feel insignificant compared to well-to-do people from rich places. But we are significant to God, and He can make us strong in spirit and filled with His wisdom.

Author

Julie Ackerman Link

Topics

Our Daily Bread