Nature vs. Nurture -Does it Matter?

I'm not entirely sure I know where I'm going with this, but here goes. I think we are a combination of both. By nature, I have distinct personality traits that my grandmother can attest to has been consistent in me ever since I was a toddler. I know I wasn't a perfect child, a mild mannered one, but not without fault. Let's face it, for the most part as toddlers, as we gain more awareness of the world and ourselves, we automatically assume that the world revolves around us and we can only view our environment and the people around us as our dominion and servants! It's actually quite funny in hindsight. If you don't think so, I would recommend that you try spending an hour or two with a toddler around 2 or 3 years old and see it for yourself. Believe me, if I had never observed how small children act and interact with their surroundings, I would have completely disagreed with this statement.

Now there's the nurture (or lack of) part that is responsible for the rest of our perspectives and behaviors. Because life happens and we are relational beings, it is inevitable that we are going to be partly molded by our experiences and interactions with others. Unfortunately, I think we tend to get really messed up from this side of the nature v. nurture concept. For many years, my inability to trust anyone and depend on anyone was a result of my experiences with childhood abuse and abandonment. Yet, because of my nature (thank God!), I didn't have aggression or the feeling of vengeance towards the perpetrators. It didn't mean that I came out unscathed. Growing up, I had such a poor self-image and was such a people pleaser. Because of that, I made enough unwise decisions. And you know, we are all going to continue to make decisions in life-some wise and some unwise. With that, how do we trudge through all the fluff and bluff to live the life that is genuinely fulfilling?

Shortly even after I became a Christian (soon after college), I actually didn't know how to make wiser choices for myself and how to turn my self-image around. I had all sorts of insecurities that needed to be worked on, but I didn't even know if it was possible to "get better" without going to therapy until God stopped me in my tracks. As I SLOWLY ventured onto this faith journey, God began to reveal Himself more through scripture. The cultivating of this relationship with God and Jesus has made all the difference for me. In the months and years that followed, as I kept sharing and unloading my anxieties, dislikes, tears, doubts, questions-you name it, I've said it- to Him, He was starting to heal those wounds that I carried with me for so long. Oh, how liberating it is! He has further revealed that I'm not just this unwanted and undeserving person, but quite the opposite! I am, first and foremost, HIS daughter. Phew! It is still mind boggling to me at times at how intensely He loves us all and cares for us. I guess, my round-about-way point is is that because of our nature and environment (nurture) we are all broken in some form and He is the only one that can mend our brokenness. It truly is a supernatural thing...a God thing.