So it turns out that one of the best things about being on the groom’s side of a wedding is that there’s not a whole lot left to do once you’ve gotten dressed. 🙂
I had the privilege of hanging out with both Steve and Katie at different times on the day of their wedding, and it was such a privilege to celebrate with them!
The other really great thing about this wedding is how many dear friends I had the opportunity to spend time with at the reception. There were people there I hadn’t seen in months – and it was such a joy to reconnect. It got me thinking about heaven, and how great it will be to finally have all the time in the world to spend with all of these people.
(And I guess for an introvert, that’s saying something…) 😉
Commuting. Oh, my goodness – it’s character-building. Yesterday, I watched someone whip around me and take off down the wrong side of the road – I mean, we’re talking serious possibility of on-coming traffic, and nowhere to go…
But even as I shook my head in disbelief, I was convicted by the truth that we can all be self-focused enough at times to make dangerous decisions – even if they’re not as obviously dangerous as something like that. It was a good reminder to check my heart.
Speaking of driving – this video totally cracks me up. It’s a video introducing the Campus Ministries staff to Hope College, which is where I went for my B.A. – and I know the guys in the car. (They really are this awesome in real life.)
Frozen Sing-a-Long from Parachute on Vimeo.
Every now and again, I have occasion to remember just how far I’ve come, and late last night I had a moment like that. I was tagged in a “gratitude” meme going around on Facebook by a dear friend. The idea behind the meme is to list three things you’re thankful for, every day for five days – and to tag three friends at the end of your post, asking them to do the same. I think it’s great, and as memes go, it’s a good one. We can all use a little more positivity in our lives, and I’ve enjoyed reading a number of my friends’ posts.
But nothing in me really wanted to do it.
So I said no.
And not because it’s a bad idea – it would actually be a good and spiritual practice to make a point of publicly declaring gratitude on a daily basis – but because it’s not what I want to write about this weekend. And if I spend time carefully crafting 5 mini-posts for Facebook this weekend, and trying to figure out which 15 of my friends to tag who haven’t already been tagged and wouldn’t be annoyed – I would not be spending time doing other things I want to do. So I said “no” to the good to say “yes” to the best – and I didn’t really feel guilty about it. At all.
That’s a nice change – and I’m grateful to be able to recognize it for what it is: Growth – and freedom.
One of my best friends and I are both turning 40 this coming year (and living in denial about it) – so she decided that she was going to celebrate all year (we are not 40 yet!! lol), and invited me to join her. We never actually talked about the fact that celebrating all year meant that there would be presents all year too, but we’re both having a ton of fun shopping for each other. I realize the novelty of this would wear off if we did it every year, but it’s been awesome coming home to surprise presents, as well as hunting for the perfect gifts all summer. I think everyone should have at least one year-long birthday celebration.
It’s come up more than once over the past two weeks: Christians talking about things that other (sometimes famous) Christians (whom they do not actually know) have said. And disagreeing, sometimes violently. Words like disunity, slander, gossip, idol worship, and pride are being thrown around in the blogosphere and addressed from pulpits, in relation to all that talk. There’s a lot of talk – and I’m of two minds about it. On one hand, I hear the caution – “watch what you say and why you say it, think of your witness,” etc. I get that.
photo courtesy of ©Depositphotos.com / gstockstudio
But there are also times when it’s important to speak up. I’ve written about this before, but it’s something I’m thinking about more and more as “church mess” headlines continue to hit the news: how do you know?
How do you know when it’s time to speak up and when it’s time to shut up? And when do you lean in, and when do you just walk away from an argument? Are there formulas, do you think? Or do we need to lean more on intuition and the Holy Spirit in the moments where we need to choose a path forward and don’t have time to think it through? Is it slander to talk about something someone else said and what it reveals about their character, if we don’t actually know the person IRL? We’re going to talk more about this in September, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on all this now. Please feel free to comment below! (And be sure to hit that handy little “add me to your mailing list” box before you post, to receive weekly updates from Simple Felicity.)
Have a great weekend!
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Shara
August 31, 2014Regarding #7…
This is SO HARD FOR ME. So hard.
I do feel like it’s slander when people are condemning people they don’t know (or even when they DO know them, I feel it’s wrong). Even if I agree with their feelings, when is it ever okay to call someone out in such negativity? I feel that prayer that God convicts them, and that those close them will lead them to a greater truth, is the way to go…
I also feel that two minute snippets from social media does not make us experts about those people, where their hearts lie, and the whole truth behind the statement! I mean, I could record two hours of me speaking on a subject, and one person can take two-four minutes of what I said, take it out of context, and throw it all over the internet to have everyone else go all up in arms! Social media is a fickle beast. One minute you are right, and the other, you are bring thrown to the depths of Hell and no one bats an eye. We all call out the specks in each other’s eyes, and ignore the log in our own.
I am struggling. Hardcore.
It is not my place to stand up for those people. They can do it for themselves. But, it DOES make me wonder what kind of people I’m surrounding myself with, in and outside of church. I started going to the church I go to because I was accepted. Faults and all. I sin, but I am trying. And people loved me. They heard me. They helped me with kindness, gentleness and love. And if these people I know are now calling out people they do not even know, what happens when I make one itty bitty mistake? What happens when I fall? Which I happen to do often. Will I, too, be condemned? I’m afraid to make mistakes. I’m afraid to open my mouth. I’m afraid of WHO to confide in. I should not be afraid…
I’m not standing up for those people… I’m standing up for me. I’m standing up for me. I don’t want to be so blinded that I don’t give people grace. I don’t want to be so closed minded that push those that may sin out, before trying to reach them and teach them about Jesus. I don’t want to condemn those that have made inexcusable mistakes, because if I make an inexcusable mistake, I’m going to need God and His people that much more.
But… God has done a lot of work on taming my tongue. So, maybe I think, “I’ll just play the good kittle Christian girl, and shut my trap.” because I fear my tongue now. I fear who I am. Have I lost who I am trying to please those who I offended in the past? Have I lost me?
Have I stopped standing up for those that are ashamed of themselves so much, that they feel they can’t approach those in the Christian faith, because they’ll be shunned? Because so many Christians do it so easily. I stopped standing up for them, because other, more religious people have more knowledge at their backs, and since they deemed it okay to condemn because of a verse saying to call out truth, and I don’t know what I’m talking about. Except I think Jesus wants us to be grace filled… Whoever can cast the first stone? None can.
So why do so many try?
This is meandering…. I can’t wait to read more on this in September.
Thanks for starting the conversation. 🙂
Happy
August 31, 2014“…social media is a fickle beast…” #truestory, Shara. Thanks so much for diving into this conversation with us! Looking forward to conversing more this month. These conversations are important! And I am so grateful for your perspective as I start to write about this. Thanks for being #brave! 🙂