Be Yourself-- Some thoughts

Lately I've had some things on my heart that I wanted to address.


I'm sure some of you have read a blog that had some great information, valuable resources that you found very helpful. But by the time you were finished reading, you might have felt badgered or down on yourself. I have. Sometimes bloggers can be so passionate about their ideas that it comes across as very judgemental.

That is exactly what I don't want my blog to be like.

I am very passionate about eating healthy whole foods, recycling, reducing paper waste, eliminating processed items, being frugal, spending quality time with my family and kids, and many other things. However... I don't want people to feel like I'm condemning them if they don't do things exactly like I do!

The way I see it is: you do things your way (whatever works for you) and I will do things my way. No judgement.

Surprise! I still use *gasp* paper plates. Yes, I do. It's just easier for our family. So I try to reduce waste in other ways (using cloth towels, baby wipes, cleaning wipes, ect.) This is what works for me. But I've had some bloggers tell me that my efforts are in vain if I just turn around and pollute the earth with my paper plates; that I might as well do nothing at all. To them I say "Sploothsp!" (that's me blowing them a raspberry).

I believe that there are no efforts that are in vain. Any step you take in the right direction is a good one.

Also, when I am visiting friends or family, I eat whatever they have fixed. I don't turn my nose up to it just because it isn't what I have in my fridge at home. I've had people try to go out of their way to fix food that they think I will like- this is sweet, but crazy! Fix what you would normally fix. It won't kill me to eat a little velveeta or canned chile!! I guess what I'm saying is people should be themselves. Just because I eat different or do things different, doesn't mean you have to!!

I mean, if you came to my house, I would fix my normal food. You would get a sampling of my wacky habits and you would be expected to eat it!!! Haha!

Anyway, my point is that whether a person has an average view on food/life or whether they have a more crazy old-fashioned view (like me), it should not be cause for strife or contention among friends. I like Lindsay's article about this topic.

So keep in mind as you read my blog, that I'm just sharing my experiences and if you choose not to try these things or even if you think I'm half crazy, I do not think any less of you!! To each his own!!

I usually don't write on Sundays but I wanted to make an exception today. At our church service today, the worship team sang the song "I Need You To Survive" by Kirk Franklin. Part of the song says, "I'll pray for you, you pray for me, I love you. I need you to survive. I won't harm you with words from my mouth... I need you to survive". I've heard this song many times but today I really got it. About a year ago my family and I were members of a church in which there were many people who we grew up with. Most the members had known us for years and loved us (we thought). Through circumstances that are unnecessary to explain, we were given a ministry position. This wasn't our first ministry position, but we were young and quite capable of making mistakes. Anyway, have you ever heard the phrase, "If you try to please everyone, you will eventually please no one"? Well, let me tell you, that is true!!! In our quest to do everything right, we ended up being hurt by a lot of people that we love. Mostly it was just nasty comments or criticisms masked by the phrase, "trying to help". My husband and I were at fault too. When you are in the ministry, God is supposed to be your "boss", not people! We often forgot this fact. Eventually, we resigned our position and moved to a different city (because of my husband's job) and are currently attending another church. Today, when I heard that song, I realized that part of being a Christian is realizing how your actions and words affect others. Would things have been different at our former church if everyone had followed the lyrics of this song? Praying for each other and being careful not to hurt people with words from our mouths may have bettered the situation we were in. I am very thankful for where those experiences have brought us, however, next time I hope to remember this song and put these words into action! Here is a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2ioId0zSiQ