Joshua’s Heart
“Coming through!”
exclaimed the nurses as my mother and father stepped off of the
elevator into the baby delivery section at the hospital. Twenty
three short minutes later I was born. The second child of the
Castles’ family was here and one year three months later another
son named Jonathan was introduced to the family as well. My older
brother’s name was Benjamin, and my parents gave me the name
Samuel. Each one of us was brought home to a small two bedroom house
in central Tulsa. However, upon the arrival of the third son, it
became apparent it was time to get a larger house. We moved south
five miles and that house has been our home ever since. Yet as the
years go by and I look back, one thing stands out to me. My father
Brian Castles always loved the bible verse written in Joshua 24:15b,
“…But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”(ESV)
This verse describes the manner our father reared us with, and I live
by that verse to this day.
When
I was old enough to start kindergarten, my parents decided to
homeschool me in my older brother’s footsteps. My parents thought
this method would best honor God. Despite the social disdain this
decision caused my parents, I was educated in this manner all the way
through high school. For most of this education, I was schooled as a
part of a homeschool co-op called Christian Education Alliance. One
of my favorite half-truths about homeschooling is that it makes you
socially awkward. While it does limit social exposure, it is up to
the student to decide whether or not to attempt to get involved in
social activities. I spent countless hours exploring and learning
about the woods with friends as a Boy Scout, involved in the church
youth group, or playing basketball with a competitive homeschool
team. As I grew through these experiences my parents encouraged me
to grow in my faith. I eventually took upon myself the call to serve
the Lord.
My
father’s inspiration to serve God led me to take up the same faith.
When I was fifteen years old, I made the decision to follow Jesus
Christ. My faith is the reason for the joy and hope I have. As I
grew older, I realized that I had been given a love for people and a
desire to learn about science. Upon my graduation from high school I
chose to attend Oklahoma Baptist University as a Pre-med student so
that I could pursue medical missions. I do not know what the Lord
has planned out for me, but I wait with attentive ears and an eager
heart.
