The Election

This election sucked.  I'm pretty sure that is the only thing we can all agree on.  So much mudslinging, playground fighting, hair pulling and childish insults by both the candidates and their supporters.  And yesterday I woke up feeling guilty.  Guilty for being born white.  Guilty for growing up in a white home with white parents who were also born from white parents.

I am a Christian.

A white Christian.
I did not vote for Hillary.
I am pro-life.
I think God created marriage for a man and a woman.

And I shouldn't, and won't, feel ashamed of this.

Just because I am white and a Christian and didn't vote for Hillary doesn't mean I support Trump's name calling, his harassment of women, his sexual addiction or his mocking veterans and the disabled.  So please stop telling me that I do just because I did not vote for Hillary.

I admit, I have never walked in a Muslim girl's shoes.  Nor do I know what it's like to be transgender or a black man being pulled over by a white cop.  I've never had to experience the type of hatred that some of my friends have had to experience.  But that doesn't make me judgmental or intolerant.  So, please.  Stop saying that it does.

On September 11, 2001, a group of radical Muslims attacked our country.  Since then ISIS has raised terror against the United States and has made it clear that their goal is to wage battle against anyone who doesn't share their beliefs.

Fact: Radical Muslims = a threat to our safety.
Bigger Fact: Most Muslims are not radical.

My daughter's best friend is an 18 year old Muslim girl and one of the nicest, funniest and quirky girls I've ever met.  She is awesome.  Her family is awesome.  Yet, they have to live in a country where they are judged solely on their appearance.  This has to stop. I have good friends who are African American.  They are amazing.  Their kids are amazing.  Yet, they too will sometimes be judged by the color of their skin.  This has to stop.  

Stereotypes exist.

They exist for the Muslim girl.  They exist for the black man.  And they exist for the conservative Christian. So please don't tell me that I don't know what it's like to be targeted.  I am judged for my beliefs every. single. day.  Maybe I live in a little bubble where I don't see the worst of the worse.  When I look at Facebook and see stories of things happening I almost can't believe it.  An African American high school girl being told she can't sit in her seat anymore because we are "making America great again", Muslim girls' hijab's being ripped off, Hispanic woman being told to sit in the back of the bus. I don't get it.  It's gross and sickening and makes me want to puke.  But what else makes me sick is looking at my daughter, who was able to vote for the first time in her life, being told that this is all her fault and she is part of the problem because she didn't vote for Hillary.  No matter that she also didn't vote for Trump.  She just didn't vote for Hillary. And apparently, if you didn't vote for Hillary you are a racist bigot who wants to be a follower of Hitler.  What is this teaching our young voters?

I didn't vote for Trump.  I think he acted like a narcissistic pig who didn't deserve for me to check his box.  So I voted for someone who I thought would make a darn better president than both Hillary and Trump.  Please stop telling me that that makes me a Muslim hater, homophobic, judgmental white girl.  I am not any of those things. (except a white girl.  I am that.)  I will pray for our president every day and I ask you all to join me.  Pray that the test of time will show better character than he has shown during the election.  Pray for peace.

Stop.

The hating. The being intolerant of intolerance.  The emotionally charged rants. Please just stop.  Friends turning against friends, father's against sons, neighbor against neighbor.  It needs to stop.

There is a fence and I want to sit on it.  I want to sit atop of it and not choose a side.  I want to sit up there and just tell everyone to shut up and get along.  Sit up there with me please.  There is a lot of room.  

... the next Fifteen Minutes

Sometimes it's hard to look at the big picture.  Try not to look too far ahead when the road seems so long.  Focus on what you can do right now.  Small steps can lead to big changes!

But I want it now!!!

Self control has always been a struggle for me.  (hence, why we don't have any ice cream in the freezer.  I ate it.)  It's so easy to put off something until tomorrow.  Or the next day.  Or the day after that.

I'm going to stop eating sugar. 
I'm going to stop drinking.  
I'm going to stop spending too much money. 

Whatever it is for you.  We all have something.  For me, it's food.  I'm a total "yo-yo'er".

Eat good. 
Eat bad.  
Eat this. 
Not that.  
Low carb.  
High carb. 
No carb.  

I'm sure you've all heard the saying "it's not the first time you fall that causes the damage.  It's the second, and the third, and every time after that."  So why is it so hard to jump back up on that wagon? It feels so good when you've been riding on it for awhile so what causes us to fall out? Because we are looking for immediate gratification.  That temporary satisfaction.  Those endorphin's that tell us that whatever we are doing (eating, drinking, shopping, whatever) is going to fix whatever it is in our soul that needs comfort.  And it will fix it... for the next five minutes.  But if you're anything like me it's in that sixth minute that despair enters in and the thoughts enter in that say

I'm not good enough.
I've failed again.
I'll restart tomorrow.  
Or Monday.
Or maybe never.
I'm hopeless.

I challenge you to find whatever it is that has its unhealthy hold on you.  When you find it, grab a hold of it and punch it in the face.  Don't give up your ultimate goal for immediate comfort. IT'S. NOT. WORTH. IT!  What is it that is holding you back from being everything that God created you to be?  Think about the areas in your life that are affected by whatever it is you know you should give up.  I bet it's affecting more than you think.  I know for me, my constant yo-yo'ing (gaining weight, losing weight, eating good, eating bad) really affects my self worth, which in turn affects the relationships I have with my husband, my kids, my friends, and most importantly with God. The good news is that it's NEVER too late.  Philippians 1:6 says "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God says

You are good enough.
You are not a failure.
You can restart now.
You have hope in me.

God NEVER stops working.  He NEVER stops carrying us when we need carrying.  He ALWAYS gives us a fresh start, but it's up to us to take it.

What is your Goliath?

We all have something we struggle with.  That “thing” that we think sets us apart from everyone else.  That spot in the deepest part of our soul that captures our thoughts and discourages us into thinking we aren’t good enough or that we don’t measure up...that there’s something in our life that’s as big as Goliath.  Something we think we can’t defeat.  For you it may be alcohol, drugs, self-hatred, food, pornography, fear, for someone else it may be shame, depression, defiance, laziness, a lack of self-control. But there’s one thing we all have in common.  In some way our life is broken.  There’s an area in our life that we can’t conquer on our own.

And that is a blessing. 

Wait, what did she say?  My brokenness is a blessing?  Yes.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 Jesus tells us that His power is made perfect in our weakness.  He says that we should delight in our difficulties because when we are weak, then we are strong.  We create for ourselves this reliance, this dependency on God.  And that is precisely what He wants. 

David.  The boy everyone thought was weak… going up against Goliath, the nine foot Philistine giant that towered over even the strongest of men.  (Think Danny DiVito and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a slam dunk contest).  David had a sling shot and a rock and people around him thought he was crazy.  But he knew that he had God on his side and that even though he was weak his God was strong.  David.  The shepherd who became a king.

So what is your Goliath?  What is that thing that feels so much bigger than anything you can conquer on your own? 

Steven Arterburn, a well- known Christian author/ psychologist/ pastor often says “we are waiting for God to do what God is waiting for us to do.”  Could God take away our brokenness?  Of course He could.  But he doesn’t always.  Just like God could’ve defeated Goliath all on His own.  But He didn’t.  Why?  I believe that it was because he had a greater plan.  He wanted to use David to show His power.  He wanted to show everyone that weak, ordinary people can be used for extraordinary things… to illustrate how He can turn a weakness into strength. David faced his giant and did something that seemed utterly impossible to those around him.  He turned his eyes to God and said “God.  I cannot do this on my own, but I can do it with your help.  With your power I can do this.  I can defeat this giant.  Because even though he is a giant to me, he is weak and vulnerable to you.” 

God says “I got this.  And with my power, you can do this.  You can defeat your addiction.  You can conquer your affliction, but you need my help.  You CAN NOT do this on your own.”  And, oh Lord God Almighty have I tried. 

So.  I ask you again.  What is your Goliath?  What is the “it” that is standing in the way of you living the life that God has called you to live? Some of you may be able to answer this question quickly.  For others of you, it may take longer.  I challenge you to dig into that deep space in your soul.  That place you don’t want to go.  That place that hurts and that you don’t want anyone to know about.  Give it to Jesus and thank him for it.  Thank Him for not making you perfect. Then, take your sling shot and your rock and be like David.

I know what my giant is.  Do you?