Ask and You Shall Recieve

 I think its funny when people ask me on twitter what my opinion is because how I could possibly get that out in 140 characters is beyond me. A while ago I came up with the idea that my opinion doesn’t keep the world spinning.... who knew? I went 20 something years believing it did. So spewing it out all the time doesn’t really work. I think I learned this from being a wife but who really knows. But in the same breath, “Ask and You
Shall Receive.” So this is what I came up with:

People are funny. When I think of the world and the culture we live in I think of magic. We are under a few spells. One being that we believe we have to choose a side. A&E or Phil. Republican or Democrat. Christian or Not. Pro choice or Pro Life. Pro Obama or Anti Obama. We also believe that we need to be very very loud to be heard. Loud meaning screaming our opinions at dinner, on the news, at work, or in school. Being loud can also mean pictures on Instagram or Facebook, comments on twitter or in emails. Loud just means IN YOUR FACE. We see it everyday and we are forced to make a choice. I tend to like people who see beyond the choices given and come up with a different answer. Thats the person I want to be. I feel like choices are like a filter. Choices filter out uninteresting, lame, boring, judgmental people out of my life so I can focus on the cool weird people with possessions like brains. 
 All week on Facebook, twitter, emails, Instagram and in person we have been talking about Phil Robertson’s comments and A&E’s decision to suspend him. Most of the things I have seen were clearly marked “I am PRO PHIL or PRO A&E.

Why cant we see both sides? Why aren’t we respecting each others differences of opinions? Why do we believe freedom of speech doesn’t mean lack of consequences? Why do we think our personal voice keeps the world going round? Even if we don't understand both sides we could put ourselves in the other persons shoes and realize we are all fighting a different battle. Isn't that always an option?
 In the entire article I didn't really mind any of Phil’s comments. Nothing made me angry because I look at the world like this: We are all different. Which gives us at least one thing in common. Which makes us all the same. We are all different. We are all the same.

 Out of the whole interview what stood out to me was when the interviewer asked him if he went to repent to the bar manager that he beat up. His response was interesting to me. It made me smile because it was like a confession of sorts. I felt like he was confessing to the world that it is a lot harder to do the things the Bible teaches us to do then we say it is. It is a lot easier to say the world is a better place with Jesus than it is to go and be Jesus to the world.  

 When we spend more time focusing on what the world should be doing differently, I think we are spending our time wrong. We can't fix the world. We can fix ourselves though. I've found that when I get irritated with the world its because I am spending too much time in the world and not enough time with God.


 

  Jesus’ name has the power to inspire entire countries to base their beliefs off his teachings. It is because of His name we have things like the Red Cross, In God we Trust on the dollar bill, crosses on buildings, hospitals, churches etc. His name also has the power to tear apart churches and start silly arguments. It has the power make networks drop people from their shows. It has the power to hurt people and make them feel less than. It has this power because we were given this power. It is all in how you use His name. To create Peace or turmoil. The email I told you I received said, “You always have to ask yourself, Does this help?”

 Sometimes we forget that celebs, presidents, athletes, our friends, and ourselves are people. We forget they have hearts, feelings, emotions and souls. We forget that our words and pictures and emails all have a lasting affect on others. That even though you might not be talking to Phil Robertson or Obama the type of things that you say about them doesn’t define them. It defines you. I think apologies are a great tool for when we forget those things. I never want to forget that each individual is a soul with a heart and feelings. Even though Obama may not hear or see the things I say on the internet someone else does. And because we are such influential people our opinions spread. They spread like wild fires. We all know that adding fire to fire only makes the fire bigger. I can only imagine how Phil and his family feel right now. We are all fighting a battle. A tough tough battle. I know this because as I write to you about peace and love, I turn and yell at my husband. But we are all trying our very darndest.
 My brother in law recently asked me why I chose to love gay people so much? My husband told me later that I should have told him, “because God told me to” But I don’t like churchy answers like that. My answer is this: Because whenever someone is being made less than, whenever people use their power to persecute or tear down or demolish another person or group an impression is put on my heart. I don’t like seeing or hearing mean things. For some reason I believe instead offering something mean in return that maybe, just maybe a little kindness will do the trick. I have got too much garbage of my own to toss for me to start picking threw your trash cans.  Plus I don't really know what I am doing anyways. People, lets be kind today. Lets stop choosing sides.  We are all different which makes us all the same.
Love
b