In the name of Love?

Today I was having a lazy Sunday, doing some laundry, watching the latest SNL, and one clip kind of struck a nerve. I may be standing on my soapbox a little in this post so let me enter the disclaimer that I do not claim to be perfect and this post is just as relevant to myself as it is to anyone.

 SNL has always been a kind of hit and miss show but I enjoy it.  One of my favorite segments of the show is the Weekend Update with Seth Meyers.  There's just something cathartic about knowing there are other people in the world equally as appauled with some of the things that make it to the news.  The clip that stood out to me today was a short news story on the Westborough Baptist Church protesting at military funerals as viewed by the devil.  You can watch it here.

As much as I was mildly amused by the devils perspective, there was also a dark truth behind this clip.  This church is notorious for its hate rallies against homosexuals, picketing funerals, and desecrating the American flag. I'm not sure which religion this church is affiliated with but to the radicals out there, I wish more than anything they would come to understand the damage they are causing.  I understand the concept of eradicating evil in hopes of creating a perfect world but who are we to even pretend we understand what a perfect world looks like?

I know that this sketch was meant to poke fun at these radical groups but there is something about the dialogue that left me bothered.  Towards the end of the video "the devil" starts talking about how someday this group will go to hell and he is going to dress up like God and say "oh yes, good job, great work" and then all of a sudden take off his God costume and say "BAM! You've been damned!" Again, I realize this was made light of in the name of humor but I wonder about how that scenario will really go when people who do things like this church or people who fly planes into buildings or people who strap bombs to themselves or who hold hurtful protest signs at abortion clinics and gay pride parades, when these people stand in front of God thinking they've been serving him while the whole time they actually were turning people away from him.  For that matter I wonder about the things in my life that I claim to do in the name of righteousness and what God will say about how I treated his flock.  Did I love his people? Did I care for his sheep? 

That's the thing with Christians.  I don't mean to generalize, but as a whole, Christians tend to complain about their persecution, about how people don't like them.  But never once have I heard someone say "Oh.... I hate her... she's just so Christian. I mean she just loves people so much... she's too loving. It's horrible."  I have however heard adjectives like "hypocritical", "judgemental", "condemning", "prideful", "arrogant", "naiive."  What adjectives are we wearing each day?  Christians, we say we want to represent God.  God is love. Henceforth, we should represent love, yes?  Use I Corinthians 13 as a reference.  How much of this description is accurate in our own life? Consistently?

My thoughts are a little scrambled but ultimately the message I'd like to get across is that loving other people is infinitely more successful than proclaiming righteousness in hatred or condemnation.  The next time you think about judging someone, put yourself in their shoes, and try loving them instead.

A beautiful life unplanned

I sat down at my keyboard tonight,  and this is what came out.  "A Life Unplanned."  Lyrics below. A little cheesy maybe.  Most songs are.  Getting a little vulnerable here so stay with me.  Fear and doubt are acquaintances of mine but they do not often stay long and I'm not looking for any "there there" kinds of comments.  Sometimes life just seems to happen really fast.  Similar to the concept behind my "Just Do It" post, life is still moving quickly, it is still intimidating, and I still need to just do it.  I'm still a planner.  I still hate uncertainty.  I really can't describe to you what the unknown feels like to me.  Exciting, but terrifying.  My confidence is on a teeter totter lately.  Some days I feel incredibly prepared- I remember that I have been preparing for life for over two decades and I truly believe I can do anything I set my mind to.  I remember that God has never let me down before and I have always been successful when I really set my mind to something and I feel ready to take on life.  Other days, I feel incredibly inadequate, timid, and not ready.  It's mind over matter really.  If I let myself listen to that little voice of insecurity, I hold myself back.  If I choose to ignore it and I choose instead to remember that with perseverance, google, and a little bit of sweat there's nothing you can't accomplish, I feel ready to take on the world.

As difficult as it may be for me to believe at times, my philosophy is truly that impossible is just a word.  As much as I struggle with doubt, I do truly believe that everyone was created with a unique set of skills and personality and that everyone has the potential to be and do something amazing.  Something big.

To all readers who may be facing a new chapter in life, a new direction, a decision-- You can do it.  You can be all you can be.  You can do anything you set your mind to. And you will be fine.  Uncomfortable? Maybe.  But nothing of eternal significance ever happens in your comfort zone.   And realistically,  you can only take one step at a time, so just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.  Stress happens when you stop to dwell on the unknown.  The trick is to move too quickly for stress to keep up.  Embrace the beauty of a life unplanned. 

These are the lyrics that trickled out tonight.  Like I said, a little cheesy, but sometimes the first draft is simply the most honest. 

Can the world slow down, for just one day

Can I just push pause for a brief escape

Can someone give me an answer, tell me what’s next

I’m so afraid of taking another unknown step

Sometimes it seems I become paralyzed

Lost in frustration as I quickly realize

I see my youth and childhood in my rear view mirror

Innocence behind me, Uncertainty ahead

Decisions surround me, in isolation

Can we please just stop time for a moment

Just long enough to catch my breath and make a plan

Can we please just pause life for a second

Will someone just please take my hand

No longer a child, but I still don’t feel grown

Surrounded by friends and family, but I still feel alone

I’ve spent my whole life in a huddle, learning to prepare

Now they’re telling me it’s time to play, and my audience is staring at me

Telling me to make a move, any move will do

And when I finally think I’m ready, and I go to take that step

My insecurities overcomes me, and all I know, I somehow forget

And I see my youth and childhood in my rearview mirror

Innocence behind me, uncertainty ahead

Decisions surround me, in isolation

Can we please stop time for just a moment

Just long enough to catch my breath and make a plan

Can we please just pause life for a second

Will someone just please take my hand

So I close my eyes, step into the unknown

Remember everything I’ve learned

Hold my head up high, put on my high heeled shoes

And though decisions overwhelm me, I open my eyes and choose

And I see my youth and childhood in my rearview mirror

Innocence behind me, uncertainty ahead

Decisions surround me; I could turn back but instead

I thank God for this moment

Take a breath and enjoy a life unplanned

And I won’t waste another second

Trying to understand

There’s a life worth living, and a future for me

And 20 years of preparation, being told that I can be all I want to be

Striving every moment, to be my best

To become the woman, I was meant to be

And I put one foot in front of the other, step into possibility

Because time goes by, Life moves on

And I won’t waste another minute, trying to understand

Because time goes by, Life moves on

And I’m living a life, unplanned