To be honest I'm kind of sick of hearing about how great things are for you, not to be mean or anything. It's just that once I want to hear a "painfully real" testimony. Don't get me wrong I'm not discounting anyone's testimony, that's not my place or purpose. I just want pure unadulterated honesty. Honesty that says, "Yeah, I believe. Yeah, life still isn't amazing." As humans our nature is to seek out the heroes, the overcomers, the successful, but the truth is sometimes faith itself is the reward. I hear so many testimonies of people who talk about God's blessings and the prosperity they've found by following Christ. That just isn't the case for everyone, or for that matter it's usually not the case for most of us.
Just one time I want to hear someone be completely honest about how their circumstances were still pretty rough even after choosing to embrace faith full-on. They still struggled daily, still got sick, still had to suffer tragedies, etc. I don't for one second believe that God loves His children who fight and scrape to just stay alive anymore than those who are prospering with no worries of where their next meal will come from. Please understand that I realize that I am unbelievably blessed. I also realize that at the end of the day God isn't my "genie in a bottle". Just because I choose to do or not do certain things doesn't mean life is going to be grand. At the end of the day our faith has only promised us one thing in this life...that we won't go through the bad stuff alone.
Our reward isn't meant to be here on earth. So while we may celebrate the blessings that some have just keep in mind that it doesn't paint a picture of God's love for anyone. Remember that the person who is barely hanging on may be stronger in faith than you or I could ever be. Remember that we aren't going to ever get it all while we're here. And most of all remember that faith isn't truly faith if it's all about what you get or how you've been blessed. Faith is about hope and knowing that there is something so much better waiting for us. So look to the ones who haven't arrived but are still fighting...they are strong ones. The fight is what makes us all strong, because that's when faith is harder to hold onto.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Why Love?
I guess you could say that I’m a person who looks at life, love, religion, and politics through a different lens than most. You see, I was born and raised in a home that taught me to love and follow Jesus Christ. My parents are amazing, without a doubt better than I deserve. We don't always see eye to eye on everything, but I just pray that I make them half as proud as I am of them. They took me to church every Sunday, Wednesday, and any other day there was something going on. At times it drove me crazy, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything now.
My parents definitely had a major impact on the person that I am today. Parents can do their best, but they can't determine a person's path. So just as everyone else does, I made my own choices as I grew up and became an adult. Many of those choices affected my outlook and my experiences. Some of my friends know my past and know the struggles I've dealt with. In fact, I’m not shy about sharing it. If you want to know just ask, my past has made me who I am today. My past is what teaches me to look at things in a way that’s a little bit out of the box. I’ve been that lost girl who didn’t have a clue where to turn, that woman going through struggles that no woman should have to face, that soul in need of grace and forgiveness when all I deserved was condemnation. Until you’ve been in those positions you just don’t understand.
When I see a woman on the side of the road begging for money, I remember that without the amazing people God has put in my life that could very well be me. When the girl sits down across from me in my office to apply for assistance, I remember what it was like to have to depend on others to survive. Most of all though when I see someone so bogged down with the dirt and grime that this world and sin often drags us through, I see the person that Christ chose to die for. You see, it wasn’t just me or you He came for…it was every single nasty, disgusting, ugly individual on this earth. My past reminds me to put that in perspective. It's difficult for many of us to understand how people fall to the places that they do. We have to make a conscious effort to see the soul loved by God and full of value.
So when you see that person who is so full of hate for the things of God look at them with the love that so many choose not to give them. Show them that even though they don’t agree with you and see things the way you do that you love them because that’s what we’re called to do. We hear so much about the fight against Christianity. Our world is a fallen world. The world can be expected to act like the world every day, and it really shouldn't surprise us. It can lead us to our knees. It can lead us to love with an amazing love. That is how the fight is won. Yes, we must share the gospel and preach the truth (II Tim. 4:2). It all has to be done in love, because without love we are doing nothing but making noise (I Cor. 13:1). The most tremendous battle of all was won with Jesus Christ’s amazing love and sacrifice on Calvary. That is our victory. His sacrifice is the hope of this world. If we don't get that and we don’t live that then so many will miss out on what they could have.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Faith and Feminism
Today is International Women's Day, so I thought I would share a little bit about how I view my role and purpose as a Christian woman in today's world. Like many other Christian women I have been afraid of the feminist label. To put it very simply modern feminism has completely distorted into something that I just do not want to be associated with. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to unpack that for most of you to understand why, so here goes...
Like many of you I watched the Women's Marches around the world in January. There were a couple of things that could have caused me to be embarrassed to even be a woman during all of that. First of all, I do not and nor will I ever equate my value to my body parts. I make this statement knowing that the immediate comeback is going to be, "That wasn't the point!" I'm sorry to tell you this ladies, but your "point" was completely overshadowed by the hats, the costumes, and the vulgar language. I'm more than happy to debate this with you, but it would take way too long for me to explain why in this venue. Secondly, I am beyond offended by the idea that standing up for the unborn is considered backwards and unfair to women. Understand this very clearly...medical procedures that are necessary under certain circumstances are very different from the use of abortion as a form of birth control! I will not change my mind on this. That said, I do not consider you to be a horrible person if you have made that choice at some point. I cannot imagine what I would do when faced with the circumstances and choices that some women are faced with, and I love you no matter what your past is like. God is a God of second, third, and 300th chances. Thankfully He never gives up on us, so I choose not to give up on you either. I had a few other issues with how things were done, but those were the big ones so I'll move on.
For those of you who don't know me I should share that I was at one point in an abusive relationship for a long time. It has taken me several years to wrap my head around what a healthy relationship should look like, and I'm not even sure that I am completely there yet. This is something that I feel you need to know, because in discussing feminism I need you to understand that I am trying my hardest to be a voice for the voiceless. Abuse, human trafficking, sexual exploitation are very important issues for me. I will fight any day for any woman who is being victimized. This is one of the reasons I cannot be part of the modern feminist movement. Many of the things modern day feminists fight for are only contributing to the problems. Pornography is rampant in our society, and one of the leading causes of human trafficking today. As women we must fight to protect other women, and fighting for your right to bare it all for the world to see is not helping the issue. Modesty is so much more than you realize. It is our chance as women to fight the oversexualization of women. Our society has trained men to see us as objects rather than people. As women we are the ones who have to fight that. We need to teach our girls that they are not property, objects, or someone to be controlled. Relationships are not meant to be a way to wield power over your partner. Oh, and don't get me wrong women do that too. That's another post for another day.
My faith colors all of my viewpoints. I can't get away from it. I actually tried once. It was then that I realized that the love of an all powerful God who was willing to give His Son to die for me was something that I would not ever be willing to let go of. You may call it a fairytale, but trust me there is no feeling better than knowing that you are truly loved unconditionally. That's why I choose every day to believe that my Jesus died for me. So what does Jesus have to do with feminism you ask. Well, Jesus came and challenged the social norms when it came to women. Jesus recognized women on a regular basis in a society that marginalized them regularly. At the feeding of the 5,000 the disciples didn't count the women when they told Jesus the size of the crowd. They likely didn't count the women, because no one ever counted the women back then. Jesus on the other hand sought out women to heal, to redeem, to rescue. God allowed Ruth and Rahab to be named in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth and Mary had extraordinary roles in bringing the message of salvation to the world. God allowed a male and a female (Anna) to prophesy over Jesus in the temple. Jesus appointed someone to care for His mother after His death. Jesus chose to appear after His resurrection to a woman (Mary Magdalene) first, and He allowed women to spread the news to the world. The early Christian church spoke of many women who were involved in many ways (Priscilla, Lydia, Dorcas, and others). If you don't believe that Jesus had a heart for women, you are very mistaken.
So where do I find myself when it comes to be a Christian and the question of should I be a feminist. My response is the I believe we should all have a heart like Jesus Christ when it comes to women (and all people). So how do I make my heart like Christ's? I choose love. I see that men and women are fundamentally different in so many ways, but that is a good thing. It is something we all should embrace. Women are treasured and loved by God. I choose to see your beauty, your worth, and love you no matter what. Women aren't meant to be used or discounted. Yes, I want very much to be able to use my voice as a woman. I am beyond grateful for women like Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth. I fully believe that I should speak out against women being marginalized and treated as second class citizens. I don't believe that makes me the same as a man though. I am different than most men. They may not share my emotional strength, my capacity to love and forgive, my compassion, my love for all things girlie, and so on. I don't share many qualities that are more common to men, and I'm okay with that. There is nothing wrong with being different from each other. That's the great thing about respect. I respect the differences, and I admire those who know their strengths and use them well. So if you want to call that feminism, that's the kind of feminist I want to be.
Like many of you I watched the Women's Marches around the world in January. There were a couple of things that could have caused me to be embarrassed to even be a woman during all of that. First of all, I do not and nor will I ever equate my value to my body parts. I make this statement knowing that the immediate comeback is going to be, "That wasn't the point!" I'm sorry to tell you this ladies, but your "point" was completely overshadowed by the hats, the costumes, and the vulgar language. I'm more than happy to debate this with you, but it would take way too long for me to explain why in this venue. Secondly, I am beyond offended by the idea that standing up for the unborn is considered backwards and unfair to women. Understand this very clearly...medical procedures that are necessary under certain circumstances are very different from the use of abortion as a form of birth control! I will not change my mind on this. That said, I do not consider you to be a horrible person if you have made that choice at some point. I cannot imagine what I would do when faced with the circumstances and choices that some women are faced with, and I love you no matter what your past is like. God is a God of second, third, and 300th chances. Thankfully He never gives up on us, so I choose not to give up on you either. I had a few other issues with how things were done, but those were the big ones so I'll move on.
For those of you who don't know me I should share that I was at one point in an abusive relationship for a long time. It has taken me several years to wrap my head around what a healthy relationship should look like, and I'm not even sure that I am completely there yet. This is something that I feel you need to know, because in discussing feminism I need you to understand that I am trying my hardest to be a voice for the voiceless. Abuse, human trafficking, sexual exploitation are very important issues for me. I will fight any day for any woman who is being victimized. This is one of the reasons I cannot be part of the modern feminist movement. Many of the things modern day feminists fight for are only contributing to the problems. Pornography is rampant in our society, and one of the leading causes of human trafficking today. As women we must fight to protect other women, and fighting for your right to bare it all for the world to see is not helping the issue. Modesty is so much more than you realize. It is our chance as women to fight the oversexualization of women. Our society has trained men to see us as objects rather than people. As women we are the ones who have to fight that. We need to teach our girls that they are not property, objects, or someone to be controlled. Relationships are not meant to be a way to wield power over your partner. Oh, and don't get me wrong women do that too. That's another post for another day.
My faith colors all of my viewpoints. I can't get away from it. I actually tried once. It was then that I realized that the love of an all powerful God who was willing to give His Son to die for me was something that I would not ever be willing to let go of. You may call it a fairytale, but trust me there is no feeling better than knowing that you are truly loved unconditionally. That's why I choose every day to believe that my Jesus died for me. So what does Jesus have to do with feminism you ask. Well, Jesus came and challenged the social norms when it came to women. Jesus recognized women on a regular basis in a society that marginalized them regularly. At the feeding of the 5,000 the disciples didn't count the women when they told Jesus the size of the crowd. They likely didn't count the women, because no one ever counted the women back then. Jesus on the other hand sought out women to heal, to redeem, to rescue. God allowed Ruth and Rahab to be named in the lineage of Jesus Christ. Elizabeth and Mary had extraordinary roles in bringing the message of salvation to the world. God allowed a male and a female (Anna) to prophesy over Jesus in the temple. Jesus appointed someone to care for His mother after His death. Jesus chose to appear after His resurrection to a woman (Mary Magdalene) first, and He allowed women to spread the news to the world. The early Christian church spoke of many women who were involved in many ways (Priscilla, Lydia, Dorcas, and others). If you don't believe that Jesus had a heart for women, you are very mistaken.
So where do I find myself when it comes to be a Christian and the question of should I be a feminist. My response is the I believe we should all have a heart like Jesus Christ when it comes to women (and all people). So how do I make my heart like Christ's? I choose love. I see that men and women are fundamentally different in so many ways, but that is a good thing. It is something we all should embrace. Women are treasured and loved by God. I choose to see your beauty, your worth, and love you no matter what. Women aren't meant to be used or discounted. Yes, I want very much to be able to use my voice as a woman. I am beyond grateful for women like Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth. I fully believe that I should speak out against women being marginalized and treated as second class citizens. I don't believe that makes me the same as a man though. I am different than most men. They may not share my emotional strength, my capacity to love and forgive, my compassion, my love for all things girlie, and so on. I don't share many qualities that are more common to men, and I'm okay with that. There is nothing wrong with being different from each other. That's the great thing about respect. I respect the differences, and I admire those who know their strengths and use them well. So if you want to call that feminism, that's the kind of feminist I want to be.
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