“This is the day that the Lord has made, and we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
“When I think about the goodness of Jesus and all that he’s done for me…(can’t finish because God is too good)”
I have been hearing church sayings like these, specifically in black church, since I was a young girl. Waking up early, eating a minimal or sufficient breakfast, being in church for about three to four hours, trying to leave because my Dad loves the art of conversation, and finally arriving home before Sunday Night Football comes on, is the routine.
My life has been surrounded by the church before I was born because my mother sang in the church choir and my Dad was a minister. All of these experiences encompass who I am, and I am grateful for them; however, my background has presented me with some difficulties.
Before arriving at college, I knew there weren’t going to be many people that would understand the Pastor’s kid life. Try to explain that you don’t have the entire Bible memorized or that, during Halloween, you didn’t Trick or Treat but instead attended "Hallelujah Night." The most popular stereotype I encounter is that we’re somehow swimming in good finances, even though most Pastors or Ministers aren’t established with money-making mega churches and stunning mansions.
Coming to college, I often wouldn't tell people about my background as a pastor's daughter because of the stereotypes they would place on me. For preacher’s daughters, there are two extremes: we were either moral rebels, having unprotected sex resulting in miscarriages or teen pregnancies, or we were judgmental angels, possessing purity cleaner than the Orbitz smile.
If we walk into a party and sing along with secular music, everyone presents a facial expression of curiosity, and immediately, we’re placed under surveillance.
Along with those stereotypes, there is the constant camera society has created to monitor our "sinful" behavior. The clothes I wear, the music I listen to, even down to what laundry detergent I use. I am not trying to validate all wrong choices made by Pastor’s kids, but we’re not a test-tube product made with a page of The Bible, a tablespoon of anointed oil, and three communion cups.
Dating is a sacred subject.
Throughout high school, boys did not talk to me, because they believed the requirements for dating me included never uttering one cuss word. Currently, guys become more uneasy when they learn I'm a Pastor's kid, because they begin to think back to the "unholy" things they did last weekend. All of sudden, there is no flirting, and excessive smiling is prohibited.
Although enduring these drawbacks associated with being a preacher’s daughter are "trials," I wouldn't trade this personal attribute for anything.
I am Jaira Janay Jackson, a young Christian woman with a Pastor as her father, and surrounded by the Church and all that it entails. I understand more is expected due to my parents’ expectations and the profession my father possesses, but I will stick by his judgement and never regret being his daughter.
On that note, Amen!
