Saturday, December 26, 2009

Hate, Heroin, Hope, and Homosexuality

I have been pondering over the past few days about these four different topics.

Hate
It is such a strong word. It is a feeling that started with hurt and became bitterness and anger and has become something that I know I can’t have in my life but yet I can’t get rid of it. How can a person love and hate someone at the same time?

Heroin
During the past week, two people who I would consider close to me thought seriously about suicide. One of them talked to me about it while she was thinking about it and the other told me the morning after she tried to overdose on heroin. I am very thankful that both of them are still alive. The thought of death brings many questions and thoughts to mind. Something I told one of them to think about was that death is final. It is not like a video game and you have more lives, you have one life to live. One thing that I told both of them was to think about the people they would leave behind and what affect it would have on them.

Hope
Psalm 43:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Something that I really have been thinking about is my faith and what it is based on The “asking Jesus into your heart” jazz is not scripturally based. Telling people that they need Jesus because they are going to hell is frowned upon in my book. Telling people that they have a hole in their heart that only Jesus can fill is bad marketing, and having people say a prayer so they can get to heaven is along way off. Somewhere I think someone got a little off track with what the whole Jesus thing is about. I have seen too many people hurt by what “the Church” is doing and I do not want to see it happen anymore. Who I am is built upon what I believe. So what do I believe? I believe in Jesus and His birth, death, and resurrection. It is something that seems weird but it is something I can find hope in. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, All fear is gone, Because I know He holds the future and life is worth the living just because He lives.”

Homosexuality
Homosexuality is a word and a lifestyle that I am finding that many people (including myself) do not know how to respond to. It is one of those things that Christians seem to focus in on and say that it is wrong. Leviticus 18:22 says, "'Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. I am not a big fan of homosexuality I must admit, it weirds me out, BUT, I am going to love people with a different sexual orientation that I have, even if it makes me fell weird. I know it is a very debatable subject and it is something I will go more into some other time but, I feel like it is one of those pick and choose Bible passages. The Bible says in Malachi 2:16-"I hate divorce," says the LORD God of Israel," There are a few verses that talk strongly about divorce but when someone’s marriage is hurting, we do not bring up the verses. I know many people that have been divorced and married even within my church and it is not something that people look down on them for. Who knows Are there divorceaphobes like there are homophobes? I would really like to how many people have different sexual orientations and are afraid to tell the people around them for fear of rejection. Isn’t a sin a sin?
Why must we pick and choose what is a little sin or a BIG sin? Why must we pick what is “good” and “bad.” Who decided that drinking alcohol was “bad,” the Bible just speaks about getting drunk. Who decided that certain words were bad? James 5:12 says, Above all, my brothers, do not swear-- not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned. Matthew 5:22 says, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, (An Aramaic term of contempt) 'is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Those are interesting verses for me to think on because even though I do not say “bad” words, I call people stupid, I get angry, and I say things other than yes and no. If I go by the standards of this world… I am a pretty good person. If I go by what the Bible says, I have a lot to work on.
A verse that has been stuck in my head this last semester was Romans 16:19b “I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” The kids at church sing a song that says…”be excellent (uh huh uh huh) at what is good, be innocent (woooooo) of evil…and the song goes on. I think that song is something that I need to have ingrained in my head so when situations come up where I have to make a tough decision, I know what the right thing to do is.

So…Those are a few of the many thoughts inside my head

AW

Friday, December 18, 2009

Distractions....

Dear silly boy,

There’s Something in your eyes
That intrigues me

There’s something about your smile
That makes me comfortable yet nervous around you

There’s something about the way you think
That makes me want to know your thoughts

There are so many questions I want to ask you
So many things I want to know

I want to know about your dreams
And what you want to do with your life

I want to know what your favorites are
And what makes you smile

I want to know if you like me
Or it’s just me that likes you

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Dear beautiful girl,

Before I start, I must tell you that according to one of my friends, I am sheltered and brain washed and I really do not know anything about relationships. I would say that it true to some extent, but something that was once just my parents ideas, have now become part of the way I live. They have become my own by reading, listening, and watching how people act.


The first time I remember being asked out by a boy was at a roller-skating rink. I was not very old but I remember that I was not impressed that this boy had his friend ask me instead of himself, but Jesse (the boy) was SO cute what should I say? When the friend was waiting for an answer, I did not know what to say. One of my sister’s friends finally stepped in and said that I was not allowed to date. I really hadn’t thought about it before and I didn’t know if I could or not. When we got home the story was told to mom and dad and they told me, “before you date or be in relationships with boys you need to read this book, ‘I Kissed Dating Goodbye’ and tell us what you think. Then you can date. So I read the book and through reading it decided that I wasn’t going to date. I was just going to watch. A story from the book that stuck with me was about this girl who dreamed that at her wedding, while she and her husband were saying their vows these other girls came and stood besides her and her husband. All these girls were girls from his past that he had given a piece of his heart to. I decided that I didn’t want to be one of those girls or have a line of guys behind me. Around the same time this weekend thing called ‘Pure Freedom’ came to my church and taught about purity and I received a new book to read called ‘The Bride Who Wore White’. In that book they encourage you to make a shopping list of what you want in a guy and for an example I will share with you some things off the top of my head that are on my list. Loves the Lord, serious about his faith, loves kids, strong jaw line, loves my family, outdoorsy, there’s more but I can’t remember, but you get the idea. Not all of the things on that list are super important but they give me picture of what I am waiting for. I see people who date and it doesn’t work out and I could tell from the beginning because it’s not because the guy was horrible, it was because they had different mindsets.

All throughout jr high and high school I thought it was funny to turn down guys. My favorite turn down has to be GUY: can I have your phone number? ME: Sorry, I can’t remember it right now. My friends around me were also getting asked out, but they weren’t saying no like I was. I want to be my own person. I don’t want to be so-and-so’s girlfriend. I’ve been able to witness so many breakups, tears, and hear about girls worrying about how likes who. It was around then that I decided that when you date two things could happen. Either you get married or break up and since dating is kinda a practice for marriage then is breaking up practice for divorce? In the one of the books I’ve read about dating talks about giving your heart and emotions to guys and I don’t think I want to do that. I want my husband to be mine. I don’t want there to have been other girls who have had their hands on him, in the same thought, I don’t want other guys touching me. I had a good friend who started dating a guy because she felt sorry for him but didn’t really like him. The more time went on she had less time for anyone but her boyfriend until 3 years later he dumped her for a girl who would sleep with him. Her life revolved around him and she gladly took him back a few months later when the other girl moved away.

As my friends and I get older things get more serious. Future, marriage, and children come up in conversations and people date with purpose because they are thinking about the rest of their lives. College is about meeting that special someone and there is a lot of emphases on finding your mate and getting engaged. I didn’t go to college to get my Mrs., I am going to get a bachelors in science. I don’t want to change if and when I start a relationship. I don’t think it is fair for you or for the people around you. One night right after I started college I had the room to myself and I started reading this book called “When God Writes Your Love Story” and the book was really good and it was just what I needed to read at the time. I’ve been known as an anti-dating person and a boy hater in the past and after almost losing my best friend, making a lot of people mad at me, reading “When God Writes Your Love Story”, and then realizing that I was growing up, I decided that I COULD date and there would be nothing wrong with it. Now I am just waiting.
This is something I wrote over the summer for a jr. high girl who asked me what I thought about dating. Since being back at school I am reminded almost everyday that I am single. I went to my first dance a few weeks ago and I wore a dress and makeup (that doesn’t happen every day). While there I was asked to dance by two guys and I told both of them no because I didn’t feel like dancing which was true. I was told many times that night that I looked pretty and after that night, I thought about the power that women have over men. I saw the power I hold that night and it scared me. I want a guy to like me because of who I am and not because of how I look. I don’t want to get a guy because of the way I dress, I want to get a guy because of my personality. In the same thought, I am attracted to guys who are physically attractive and who are able to have a good conversations.
I believe that the man should be the initiator and the pursuer. I have seen to many girls go crazy over guys and practically throw themselves at them and I don’t ever want to be like that. I was asked it I there would be under any circumstance that I would tell a guy that I liked him and I replied that I would only tell him in response to him telling me that he “liked” me.
One time I liked this guy and I told someone who then told him and it was really awkward and we talked online and he knew I liked him but I had no idea if he liked me or just wanted attention from me. We talked for awhile and we even talked about starting a relationship but a few things happened that were key things that made me think why or why not I wanted to be in a relationship with him.
I’m not a loser because I’ve never had a boyfriend (even though it may be debatable). I’m not anti-boy (even though I will advise against being in relationships).
I am waiting and someday some lucky guy will find me.

AW