I am a Christian

I am a Christian.  That doesn't make me stupid.  It doesn't mean I don't study science, or teach  my children about the Big Bang Theory.  It doesn't make me blind or a bigot. 

It means I have faith in a higher power.  It means I choose to follow a certain set of rules that go with being a Christian.  Even when I think those rules stink sometimes.

I am a Christian.  That doesn't make me perfect or better than anyone.  It doesn't make me a fanatic or crazy. 

I get so tired of hearing people slam Christians as stupid, or bigots, or haters.  It bothers me when I have friends who seem to go out of their way to insult my faith because I don't support gay marriage, or abortion, or wearing immodest clothes.

No.  I don't support gay marriage.  I will not vote and say "Yes" to something because you think it's the right thing to do.  On that same note, I will not go out of my way to  make a gay person feel like a leper. I will not cast stones at their house, nor will I make my children avoid their children.  I just won't tell that person what they are doing is right.  Why is that so wrong?

When did it become wrong to have an opinion?  When did it become really wrong to have an opinion different from yours?  When did it become wrong to believe in God? 

No.  I don't support abortion.  Not at 10 weeks, 20 weeks, or 40 weeks.  It is wrong to kill a child.  Does that mean I will fire bomb abortion clinics?  No!  Does that mean I will hate those who have made the choice to have an abortion?  NO!  Does it mean I will mourn the lose of life when that decision is made?  Yes!

What a selfish society we have become, when we can claim that abortion, all abortion, is a woman's right to her health!  There is life growing inside a woman when she is pregnant, and life is beautiful!  We get so angry at little girls abandoned in China simply because she is a girl.  We get angry when a child is left in a dumpster or on a doorstep.  I see no difference when one is pulled out of a woman's body and put in an orange trash bag.

No.  I don't support women being able to dress like a hooker.  Does that mean I agree that a woman "Asked for it" when she is raped?  Certainly not!  I support modesty for an entirely different reason.  What happened to the idea that our bodies are something special?  What happened to the idea that women should only reveal a little of their bodies, to keep something back for the man who loves her? 

When did it become ok for our boobs to hang out of our shirts and our bums to hang out of our shorts?  Why is the current obsession about letting it all hang out...sending the message that we think our bodies are for "display only"?  Why don't women have more respect for themselves than that?  Why aren't they teaching their daughters to have more respect for themselves than that?! 

Society bothers me these days!  So much emphasis is put on what feels good that we forget there is a consequence for our actions.  We think about more, better, and now, and we forget the value of patience and earning something.  We compete with each other for material goods and we forget the value of simple things...like playing outside with a ball in the rain. 

More than all that, it really bothers me that as an American I'm being told that my choices, my opinions are invalid and unvalued...all because I do not agree with what is popular.  More and more, I feel the need to speak out, to shout out about my faith and my God...maybe because I'm tired of being called stupid and bigot.  Or maybe because God is telling me it's time to crank up my light for the world to see.  I don't know...but I sure am tired of being silent.

A Mom for Mother's Day

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. 

What makes a mom?  What sets a woman apart from all the other women to be entitled to a day of her own?  Is popping out a child a reason to celebrate?  Is giving a child a roof, clothes, food and an education enough to be called mom?  Does a woman have to follow a certain set of child raising rules (which, if you have a copy, can you please send it to me?) in order to be given the title of Mom? 

I'm wondering this today, because honestly I wonder what my kids think of me.  I was watching the news today and listening to those cute 5 and 6 year old kids they find answer the question "What is your Mom to you?", and it made me wonder...and hope...and fear, just a little what the answers of my children would be like. 

All the time you see commercials, or blogs, or YouTube videos about moms and how hard their job is or all the things they put up with or all the work and support they give to their children.  Really and truly, those little pieces of media make us sound like a super hero in disguise!  Man, I want my cape!

However, I know that every day I have to make choices.  I have to choose whether to clean my house or dance with my daughters.  I have to choose to work on math problems or practice batting with my son.  I have to choose to read a book for myself, or read a book to my youngest.  I know I have to choose patience (again) or to loose my cool.  I have to choose to learn a new way to help my daughter learn Biblical concepts or just get frustrated that she can't get it the way I'm teaching it to everyone.

I know I have to choose to SHOW love and not just say love.  I know that I don't always make the right choice.

I think the mom who is worth celebrating, is the mom who messes up.  The mom we give thanks for is the mom who got up that morning and said "I'm going to try again".  The moms who never give up, who never stop learning, who make the choices that are hard and heartbreaking and not always right in the eyes of everyone else.

I love my mom.  I look back and know that every day she made the decision to not give up on me.  Every day she made a choice to try again...no matter how badly I frustrated, annoyed, irritated, or frightened her.  Every day she got up and told herself that she loved me and I was worth the fight. 

I know this now because I have three kids of my own, and because I have made mistakes from day one.  I know this now because I have had to make some of the same decisions.  I was not the easiest of kids...and neither are my kids!  I guess that means, in reality, no kid is easy.  I don't think they are supposed to be easy. 

So, what makes a mom worth celebrating?  Do you worry if you are worthy?  Well, if you are one of those moms who is worried about if she's doing it right...if she's raising good human beings...if she's not warping the minds of her children...then I'm pretty sure you are worthy.  Relax, momma.  Enjoy your day...however it plays out.  :)