I've had a lot of people mention to me that I should "start blogging" and I'm not really sure how to take that. Although I have more of an up-front personality, I'm not exactly the type to be full of myself and actually assume people are going to be all ecstatic to read the random bloggings of a 22-year-old senior biology student. That's usually the first thing people think of when they think "cool person." Oh that person who spends six to eight hours a day studying? Freaking awesome person.
Anyways.
I see a lot of things. I don't willingly try to observe the world (as pathetic as that sounds), but my life seems to play out like it's some sort of weird modern art movie. Where you're expecting one thing, and then go "what the flying hell was that?" Yet you're somehow grateful for it later since it differs from every typical movie out there. And in this chronic state of observing the weirdest freaking situations possible, I have long since understood the art of hypocrisy. Just throwing that out there. I will somehow be the only person to experience watching a pastor give a sermon on loving others and then make some nasty comment later at a restaurant. It's like Fate just sits back and says "Hey Cassie, you know that person you liked for half a second? Yeah, they're a total douche." Everyone else is praising them behind their backs. Kind of like those Facebook posts that keep going around where about 1/100th of them are actually real and aren't written by an attention-seeking whoremonger. So many comments consist of something similar to "Oh, God bless your quadriplegic starving hemophiliac orphan! I will keep you up in my prayers!" Meanwhile, I'm sitting in the back disgusted that someone would be using this to gain friends and "likes." It happens in non-facebook life as well. All of you who have been slapped in the face by reality on numerous occasions know exactly what I'm talking about. You watch some person dedicate their life to saving dying orphans in Africa, and everyone praises them. Yet a few months later, they are found to have cheated on their spouse, embezzled money, and then kept most of the proceeds that would have gone to dying orphans to buy a yacht. Or even in your immediate family, one of the members could be totally nuts yet you look like the bad one. I've noticed a couple things about hypocrisy:
1) Spotting hypocrisy in someone who is seen in the world's eyes as "good" or "pure" always tends to bring the hope in people down a couple dozen notches and has long-lasting effects
2) everyone on earth is a little hypocritical bastard.
Seriously, though. Everyone has the capability of being hypocritical, and many people do it without even realizing. No matter what religion, ethnicity, political party, what-have-you. I realize this is kind of a "duh" statement, but it helps restore some hope in humanity.
For instance, my dad is a pastor. I grew up in a Christian household and I may have different beliefs than my parents, but I am a Christian as well. It doesn't take an ounce of work on one's behalf to observe complete hypocrisy that here we are fighting for our right to believe in a God that sent His own son to die for us out of sheer love, yet we can't go a day without talking about how "ugly" someone's outfit is, or hate a whole group of people because they are different than us. There are more than 100 verses in the Bible dedicated to judging others or the tongue, and only roughly 8 about homosexuality. My point? The irony that many young LGBTs have committed suicide after being bullied by Christians that preach love. The irony that a person who is "pro-life" killed a doctor for providing abortions. The irony that another who was "pro-life" decided to run their car through an abortion clinic so they could kill the mothers as well.
God didn't send his son into the world with a giant gun. Are we reading the same New Testament? The woman who was caught in adultery- what did Jesus do? He said that if anyone was free from sin, they could throw the stone at her first. Then he proceeded to write something in the ground, which could have been various so-called "minute" sins we commit. you know, gossip? Gossip and the tongue is mentioned multiple times in the Bible. Multiple. Read James- fantastic book on how powerful the tongue is. Yet so many people will speak ill of people who are committing sins they haven't personally experienced. "Her? Uh... I don't think you want to date her, I heard she's a total whore." "Um.... you know that she drinks and stuff right?" Sound familiar? We actually get a high off of gossip. According to studies I've read, It uses dopaminergic pathways in the substantia nigra which is the part of the brain that (a very vague way of saying it) feeds addictions. People who are speaking ill of cocaine addicts are unknowingly using the same receptors to feed their addiction to gossip.
I feel like there's some sort of assumption in the Christian community today that it's up to us to tell people they're wrong. Like, somehow we'll save their life and we'll get lots of gold piles in heaven for telling some gay guy that he's sinning. Unless that guy is your best friend, if people don't randomly come up to you and tell you that you're living a life of sin for looking "lustfully" at someone else, I would imagine you not do the same for others that struggle with things you don't personally struggle with. We keep categorizing things into "big sins (usually anything sexual or drug-related)" and "little sins." and it's just oh-so-legalistic if someone calls you out on your "little sin." If you don't want some random stranger coming up to you, then realize that's how these other people feel about some random high-and-mighty person who struggles with enough of their own problems come up to them and tell them that they're sinning. It makes absolutely no sense.
I've had my share of people explain to me that it's wrong to drink. uh... Jesus drank. You can't get much better than that. If someone personally struggles with alcoholism, then I'll respect them and not drink in front of them. But I'm a little tired of being truly looked upon as less of a Christian because I god-forbid decided to have a Guinness with my burger (yum, the two taste delicious together). So much of what we say are "sins" are our own personal opinions anyways, but even if it's against God's word, it's not up to us to tell them they're wrong. It's like a butterfly. Have you ever watched a butterfly try to come out of a cocoon? Ugh, it's terrible. you want to help the poor thing out. It's like trying to watch my Havanese puppy find its way out of steel mile-long sleeping bag. However, the butterfly coming out of its cocoon is a process vital for its ability to fly. If you cut the cocoon to "help it" because it should be flying, free, and being its little happy butterfly self, you ruin its ability to fly. You can't just pick someone up and place them where they need to go or they lose the process of getting there. I'm not talking about people who are planning on committing suicide or hurting someone else. That's a completely different story. But no one. Trust me: NO ONE is going to stop having one-night-stands by having some random cocky Christian tell them they're wrong no more than you would listen to a math teacher who came up and said "you're wrong." well, fantastic, I'm going to need more than that for an answer. Those who already know that they're headed down the wrong path (mainly referring to Christians who seem "stuck in a rut") are not going to need to hear that they are wrong. For goodness sakes, They know that. You don't walk into a doctor's office with a broken arm and expect the doctor to show you a skeleton and say "why do you have a broken arm? this is what you're supposed to look like silly!" You want answers. You want to be healed.
This "process of getting there" also does not mean that everyone needs to learn the hard way why they shouldn't be a meth addict or whatnot. It does mean that it takes progress, growth, and development on their part. We as Christians are called to bring people closer and show them who God is, not to scare them off, hurt them, or cause them to hate themselves. We are to serve others, not power over them. Those people you are judging Jesus died for already knowing what they would struggle with. That's some powerful stuff right there. It is not up to you to play god, but showing them the loving, wonderful side of God has wondrous effects. I'm also not hinting that if you are able to share your testimony with someone, to avoid it because it's "playing God." I'm talking about blatantly telling someone to their face or to another behind their back where they should be and how they don't measure up to spiritual perfection. That is some dangerous water to tread on. Especially considering we hypocritically are also usually struggling with someone on our own, and boy do people notice this.
As Christians we are called to love. Love is servanthood. It's humbling ourselves and seeing people as the treasures they are. "But Cassie, love does not mean agreeing with everything they do." Of course not. But if you love your spouse you do not tell them that they stink at making a particular meal. You would make it yourself and show them your recipe. It's sacrifice.
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