"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come!" ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17. Ever since I decided to follow Christ and and pursue my faith 4 years ago, I have been gradually changing and learning...
hello! it’s been on my mind to blog recently and yet I wasn’t sure what was the best form to blog. I did try wordpress for a while and it was good, but for some reason I just always felt comfortable sharing my thoughts here. Not sure if anyone who used to follow me uses tumblr anymore, but this is just a quick post to say I plan on blogging a bit more maybe, to update on a few things, and get back to expressing and nurturing the writing voice I had when I was in undergrad. Anyways stay tuned!
Lydia Edwards’ How to Read a Dress covers nearly five centuries and makes quick work of some complex sartorial times. Critic Genevieve Valentine says, after you read it, “Period-piece TV will never look the same.”
‘How To Read A Dress’ Connects Centuries Of Women Through Fashion
I typically try to stay out of commenting my views on politics partially because I am still wrestling with figuring out my stance on certain issues and who I am voting for. These past few weeks, it has been hard to watch political debates and look at my Facebook page. I’ve realized that I usually hang out with like-minded individuals who have very similar opinions about Trump or about the election in general. It was very shocking for me, when a few Facebook friends started posting statuses justifying the Trump’s “locker room talk”. People started writing about how plenty of guys talk that way, and someone even when as far as commenting saying that they didn’t care that he tried to have sex with woman. What they left out though was this man had admitted to forcing himself on woman. Woman who didn’t want that kind of attention or sexual affection. What made me sick to my stomach was that there were people who liked these statuses and commented in support of these views.
As Michelle Obama’s speech accurately captured what I was feeling. It does matter and it is not ok that this comment was being brushed off as typical “locker-room talk” and even if it was “common” for men to talk like this in so called “locker rooms” or private spaces, it is still disturbing to hear. This kind of disrespect for woman is NOT OK. It hurt me that people on my Facebook page that I respected were posting in their statuses that this was not as bad compared to what Bill Clinton did. The scandals that happened while Bill Clinton was in office was bad, but by downplaying what Trump said in the video by comparing it to those scandals is not ok. They are both bad. And what Trump said in that videotape was not right and the moral degree of his actions should not be compared to another person. If such a comparison should be made, it should be to God and the way Jesus teaches us to love and care for people especially women. Yes, it was in 2005 and yes people can learn from their mistakes, but in his campaign he has not presented himself as someone who respects woman in the present.
This hits me personally because I have experienced instances in which an older man. A much older man looked at me a little bit too long, touch me in a way that made me feel very uncomfortable and made comments about me that as a young teenage girl who suddenly realized this man was looking at me and treating me differently than I had when I was a little girl. Whenever he was near me, I would tense up. I won’t go into the details but I know what it is like to not want that kind of sexual attention from a man and to have it forced on you. And my heart screams out that it is not ok when people tell me that this is stuff you see in the news or people don’t give it the attention that it deserves. It hurts me so much inside when people like these statuses that say they don’t care about this scandal because they care about his stance on their views like abortion, gay marriage, foreign affairs, and the economy. No political party is truly Christian. And no political party will ever truly represent the views I have on certain issues. But I cannot imagine supporting for a candidate who downplays or even encourages the men to abuse their masculinity when interacting with woman. Even if he has apologized for this video, what about the other comments he has made that has hurt other woman or families? He cannot say that these words do not matter because the words we say reflect the desires of our heart. The tongue is hard to tame.
I share this because in many instances like these I stay silent and hope for this wave of news to pass. I hate confrontations and I don’t want to be in conflict with people I respect. But this is something that I cannot brush off and scroll down my newsfeed hoping that someone else will call them out for it. So this is the first of many steps in articulating my views.
It’s been a while since I’ve felt comfortable sharing my testimony with a non-Christian friend before. Praise God for the opportunity to share my story and my faith and praise Him for giving me the freedom and friendship that allowed me to do so :)
A student asked a teacher:
“ whats the difference between I like you and I love you?”
The teacher beautifully answered with:
“ well its like a flower. If you like a flower, you pluck it.
If you love a flower, you water it every day and take care of it”
And if you understand that my friend, you’ll understand the concept of love and life.
A great friend of mine told me this (via keen-z)
Wow this is a great analogy.. I never thought of it that way.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46 ESV)
Today as I was reading through Matthew, this verse stood out to me. Soon I realized the reason why it stood out for me is because the merchant made a sacrifice that I find myself unwilling to make and still struggle with making it, which is selling everything that he had to buy this one pearl.
Now this verse isn't meant to be taken literally, it's a metaphor. In essence, this pearl was the only thing he had. He sold EVERYTHING he possessed and used the money to buy this one tiny pearl. He recognized the value of a tiny pearl and believed it was worth everything He had.
A lot of times, especially when I am burdened by troubles, I forget the value of the kingdom of heaven, God's promise for those who place their faith in Him. Even worse, sometimes I don't see the value of His promise. When there are so many pressing challenges that demand my immediate attention, it is easy to give up on obeying God and just do whatever other people are doing. Whether it is pushing off devotionals, skipping bible studies and fellowshipping with Him, or outright turning away from Him in order to gain that extra hour or two to do work that we really do to glorify ourselves rather than Him. Sometimes I wonder to myself, God what is the point of going to these Bible studies or leading this group or studying your Word for so long or going to these conferences, etc. if it seems like I should be doing something else to bolster my resume. In my head, it seems like none of this matters to future employers or the admissions committee.
But then there is a tiny voice inside of me that says: <em>But it does.</em>
God never said that the work we do to glorify Him and to spread His name would be valued in the world the way He does. He doesn't promise me that my life serving Him in these small ways will somehow down the road make my life easier. But He does promise that we have nothing to fear because we have Him. And isn't that what usually motivates people to achieve for something greater?
And God, being the wonderful creator that He is, molds our interests, work, and faithful obedience into something that glorifies Him and is a light to the world. In other words, I believe that there are people who do recognize the value of the work we do even if they are not Christian and although they recognize the fruits of our work, the motivation behind the work we do can only be sustained by the firm conviction in the holiness and will of God. If we rely entirely on ourselves, we burn out easily and the work we do ceases to become joy. We toil in vain. God precisely uses our weakness in order to glorify His strength and power. We are strengthened through Him and that is why His Kingdom is precious. Because if on this Earth He can abolish our anxieties, sustain our strength, provide for us faithfully, and grant peace in our hearts, how much greater will His kingdom of heaven be for us?
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