Bruce Jenner, Josh Duggar and Abortions.
so this post is going to have nothing to do with the kids. and yet maybe it has everything to do with them.
if you know me at all, you know that I have a, borderline unhealthy, love for reality television. my two families I follow the closest are the Duggars and the Kardasians. an unlikely grouping, I know. I majored in Sociology the brief time I was pursuing a bachelors. this is where my love and interest for people and the way they behave really came to life. I can seem ridiculously nosy, and I guess I am. but my intentions are that I am so intrigued by what makes people tick.
this has been a big month for both of these families for completely different reasons. I was totally blown away by both sets of news.
everything with Bruce Jenner further confirmed for me how crazy that family is. I will never deny how broken they are. this only drives that point home. but it definitely caused a lot of reflection for me. how am I, as a Christian, supposed to respond to this? is this wrong? is this right? does it matter? Parts of me want to answer all of these questions both yes and no. I don't support Bruce's decisions. please don't misinterpret that. I am not throwing stones at him either. or her. or whatever.
when I started hearing about the Duggars, I had experienced total denial. I didn't want to talk about it or think about it. I didn't want to believe that a family that had done so much good could be what the tabloids were claiming them to be. I finally watched the interviews of the parents and two daughters who were victims and it was comforting for me. in some regard. it was also heartbreaking that they have had to relive something that was in their past. they had all healed and given and received forgiveness and moved on. not to mention what actually happened wasn't near as bad as the media made it out to be. I am thankful to see that this seems to have only made their family stronger.
now before you go and label me as someone who is entirely too consumed with reality television, and is therefore ignorant, please know that this has lead me to a lot of pretty serious points and conclusions.
I also was in the middle of a discussion this week about abortion. let me start by saying that this is something I NEVER support or endorse. the thought of it breaks my heart. but there are two sides to every coin. many people who are not responsible enough to prevent unplanned pregnancies are not going to be responsible enough to then put that child up for adoption. instead, said child may be born into a scenario where they are unwanted and uncared for. they will likely experience neglect, poverty, abuse and so on. they will grow up in a culture that I would assume none of my readers would want for any child. they will be a product of that culture. they will likely mother or father children and repeat the cycle. they will likely be criminals. of course there are exceptions. but by and large it is not a good scenario. I have witnessed first hand the products of this kind of environment. heck, I am raising them :) I praise God every day that their life was spared against the odds. however, given the option between their mothers aborting them or them being stuck in their past, I have no idea which I would chose. I am thankful that that decision is completely hypothetical and not mine to make. I am also thankful that the Lord has entrusted their lives in my care. had He not, I am terrified to think of what could have been.
(I was terrified to type that. I am scared to post it. I will ask Aaron to proof this and reassure me that I will still have friends, and my job after sharing that. I believe this is what God wants me to write. so bear with me.)
I was raised in church. I am forever grateful for my parents taking me there and for the people there that shaped my very core being. I was so fortunate to have my wonderful parents and a great childhood. however, as a child in church, it is hard to perceive God and Christianity as anything other than black and white. as I grew up I remember feeling heart broken when I would find out people I felt very close to and loved very much, didn't have my same standards and convictions. what does that mean for me as a Christian?
I have since heard people say that Christianity is too black and white and that there is gray. that not everything is right and wrong. well you see. when you look at a black and white movie or picture, there is gray. you see objects and people. but you can't appreciate the depth and life in things. you only notice the outlines of structures. I think that is a good representation of the world, BC.
but I believe and know that Jesus came to bring color. do no misunderstand me. there are still standards and there is definitely still right and wrong. I have pretty strong and conservative personal convictions. but I am not called to convict others. I am called to LOVE. I am called to see them in color. to see them as a beautiful masterpiece created by our Lord. God created and loves Bruce Jenner just as much as Josh Duggar and as much as every woman who has ever had and ever will have an abortion. that is the same love He has for all of us. and we all bear the same sin and separation. the majority of all of this is a product of brokenness in people that stems from a lack of people being there to lovingly understand them. isn't that what we are called to do as Christians? I am not saying that these aren't major issues. because they are. but our issue should be with the sin and not the sinner. we are called to give the same grace we have received. we are called to understanding. we are called to foster love.
if you know me at all, you know that I have a, borderline unhealthy, love for reality television. my two families I follow the closest are the Duggars and the Kardasians. an unlikely grouping, I know. I majored in Sociology the brief time I was pursuing a bachelors. this is where my love and interest for people and the way they behave really came to life. I can seem ridiculously nosy, and I guess I am. but my intentions are that I am so intrigued by what makes people tick.
this has been a big month for both of these families for completely different reasons. I was totally blown away by both sets of news.
everything with Bruce Jenner further confirmed for me how crazy that family is. I will never deny how broken they are. this only drives that point home. but it definitely caused a lot of reflection for me. how am I, as a Christian, supposed to respond to this? is this wrong? is this right? does it matter? Parts of me want to answer all of these questions both yes and no. I don't support Bruce's decisions. please don't misinterpret that. I am not throwing stones at him either. or her. or whatever.
when I started hearing about the Duggars, I had experienced total denial. I didn't want to talk about it or think about it. I didn't want to believe that a family that had done so much good could be what the tabloids were claiming them to be. I finally watched the interviews of the parents and two daughters who were victims and it was comforting for me. in some regard. it was also heartbreaking that they have had to relive something that was in their past. they had all healed and given and received forgiveness and moved on. not to mention what actually happened wasn't near as bad as the media made it out to be. I am thankful to see that this seems to have only made their family stronger.
now before you go and label me as someone who is entirely too consumed with reality television, and is therefore ignorant, please know that this has lead me to a lot of pretty serious points and conclusions.
I also was in the middle of a discussion this week about abortion. let me start by saying that this is something I NEVER support or endorse. the thought of it breaks my heart. but there are two sides to every coin. many people who are not responsible enough to prevent unplanned pregnancies are not going to be responsible enough to then put that child up for adoption. instead, said child may be born into a scenario where they are unwanted and uncared for. they will likely experience neglect, poverty, abuse and so on. they will grow up in a culture that I would assume none of my readers would want for any child. they will be a product of that culture. they will likely mother or father children and repeat the cycle. they will likely be criminals. of course there are exceptions. but by and large it is not a good scenario. I have witnessed first hand the products of this kind of environment. heck, I am raising them :) I praise God every day that their life was spared against the odds. however, given the option between their mothers aborting them or them being stuck in their past, I have no idea which I would chose. I am thankful that that decision is completely hypothetical and not mine to make. I am also thankful that the Lord has entrusted their lives in my care. had He not, I am terrified to think of what could have been.
(I was terrified to type that. I am scared to post it. I will ask Aaron to proof this and reassure me that I will still have friends, and my job after sharing that. I believe this is what God wants me to write. so bear with me.)
I was raised in church. I am forever grateful for my parents taking me there and for the people there that shaped my very core being. I was so fortunate to have my wonderful parents and a great childhood. however, as a child in church, it is hard to perceive God and Christianity as anything other than black and white. as I grew up I remember feeling heart broken when I would find out people I felt very close to and loved very much, didn't have my same standards and convictions. what does that mean for me as a Christian?
I have since heard people say that Christianity is too black and white and that there is gray. that not everything is right and wrong. well you see. when you look at a black and white movie or picture, there is gray. you see objects and people. but you can't appreciate the depth and life in things. you only notice the outlines of structures. I think that is a good representation of the world, BC.
but I believe and know that Jesus came to bring color. do no misunderstand me. there are still standards and there is definitely still right and wrong. I have pretty strong and conservative personal convictions. but I am not called to convict others. I am called to LOVE. I am called to see them in color. to see them as a beautiful masterpiece created by our Lord. God created and loves Bruce Jenner just as much as Josh Duggar and as much as every woman who has ever had and ever will have an abortion. that is the same love He has for all of us. and we all bear the same sin and separation. the majority of all of this is a product of brokenness in people that stems from a lack of people being there to lovingly understand them. isn't that what we are called to do as Christians? I am not saying that these aren't major issues. because they are. but our issue should be with the sin and not the sinner. we are called to give the same grace we have received. we are called to understanding. we are called to foster love.
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