The World Is A Mess & Jesus Still Reigns

Breaking News:  I got in my first ever “Facebook fight” yesterday.  I hear and see these things all the time and mostly laugh and then bam! there I was right in the middle of one before my blood pressure could even regulate.  My friend Ashley text me later and began to ask me what had happened and why had I not text her?  She’s usually my voice of reason in these matters and talks me off a ledge real quick before I jump, but things went rogue before I even realized.  Truthfully though, I’m pretty okay with airing my grievances and typing the words I did.  Our world is a mess and it has proven so sad yet again this week.  Thought I would share my post that got a dude so fired up and raising his dukes rather than extending a hand.

“I am insanely saddened by how our black & brown brothers and sisters are being treated, oppressed, looked down on and so on and so on. It never ends and as a white privileged woman I cannot even come close to fathoming how they feel. I am just so sorry. So so sorry. When will we learn our first response to someone else’s sadness…someone else’s mistreatment…someone else’s loss…should be love, compassion and choosing to stand with them instead of excuses, statements beginning with “but…” and pointing fingers. Jesus, teach us to truly love like you do.”

Encouraging people to love.  Encouraging people to extend compassion.  Encouraging empathy among humans.  Encouraging us to look to Jesus instead of anywhere else.  It is a sad day you guys when our world is so at odds.  I have walked away from conversation after conversation after conversation lately just heart-wrecked and so so sad.  When will really look to Jesus for how to handle one another.  I am a big sinner, flawed to the core.  I’m a mess.  I’m no example, but what I am is someone who pushes Jesus.  When I hear and read things which make me physically sick and just long so hard for Jesus all I can do is seek His truth.  And how do we seek His truth?  We can take our thoughts and ideas and beliefs and go straight to the Bible.  Let’s start lining all our ideas up next to Jesus’ and if they match we know we are pursing truth.  If they don’t, well then we’ve got some work to do.  Will you seek justice, mercy and truth with me?  Will you join me in going straight to the source and really taking a good, long hard look at the life Jesus actually lived on this Earth.  Ahhhhhhhh, it’s hard you guys because I have been faced over and over again with my backwards, prideful ways, but this is the work that needs to be done if we really long for change.

Again I have been reading and inquiring and talking and seeking because if we really want to try and understand the best we can then we have to be willing to learn.  To reach out and ask those crazy hard questions and to listen.  Listening is so key.

This article was just so good.  Please read.

“I am a pastor. I will not condemn grief. But I was trained as a lifeguard, and I learned a long time ago that when people are drowning, their instincts can kill them and anyone who tries to help them. If a lifeguard can get to a drowning person, the first thing the lifeguard says is, “Stop struggling. Let me hold you up in this water, and we can get to the shore together.”

This Tulsa teacher shared what happened in their school after Mr. Crutcher was shot and killed.  It made my physically ache for Solomon, Amon and our littlest.  Too much and yet a very necessary read.  You can read it HERE.

I’ve shared this before, but I will share it again because it nails it.

Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Samaritan lives matter.”
Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Children’s lives matter.”
Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Gentile lives matter.”
Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Jewish lives matter.”
Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Women’s lives matter.”
Instead of saying all lives matter, Jesus said, “Lepers’ lives matter.”

Even though Jesus loves everyone, even to the point of dying for their sins, he went out of his way to intentionally help specific groups of people — the alienated, mistreated, and those facing injustice.

So saying “Black Lives Matter” and participating in a movement seeking justice, positive reform, and empowerment is one of the most Christ-like things we can do.

-Stephen Mattson

This post by Judy Wu Dominick is crazy good.  When will compassion reign and finger pointing end.  She has several posts that are just so on point.

I have a combination of friends and family who are recovering addicts, have committed felony acts of violence and done jail time, have had abortions, have been homeless, or have sold illegal drugs. But those things don’t define who they are or diminish their humanity. Those things are just a specific part of their broader stories, which bear the ugly marks of how the world maimed them, as well as the beautiful marks of divine grace and presence. These people are not just casual acquaintances. They have sat at our table and eaten with us. Some have even lived with us and babysat our child. I couldn’t bear it if any of them, whom I dearly love, were killed, even by a police officer, and then strangers with absolutely nothing invested then tried to justify their untimely deaths, to posthumously trample on their imago dei while their blood still stained the ground. I couldn’t bear it.

I ask the same question as civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson: “Why do we want to kill all the broken people? What is wrong with us that we think a thing like that can be right?”

Let’s all fight the good fight.  Let’s all start looking straight to Jesus as our example on how to love and how to love well.  This world is just a mess and can easily make me weep into my pillow at 1am, but Jesus is real, alive and on His thrown.  And He has commissioned us each to love Him and love one another.  Let’s do that and let’s do that well in the face of fear.

And onto lighter things because I have to 🙂

So this is it.  This is the last day to place an order for the awesome Sasquatch Design Society tees for our adoption.  Marcie, Nick and Meagan have been so generous and gracious and kind in offering these on behalf of our family and we are just so so grateful.  Let’s discuss how everyone you know needs a panda shirt in their lives.  It’s true.  I mean, it’s a panda.  Panda’s are pretty much the most chill animal of all time and so freakin’ adorable.  And we would be so honored if you would help us spread the word.  This is the last day to order so get yours asap.  Head over to our store right this second.

Also Sunday is our big Noonday party.  I was talking out loud to myself this morning because this is what I do when driving alone in the mornings and I am just so excited to have our house filled with women on Sunday.  You guys work hard and I think it’s fair to say most of us are just flat out exhausted so please come and absolutely do not feel obligated to buy anything.  Just come and eat and laugh and sit and chat and just hang with other women who are taking a little bit of time together.  If you can’t make the party and do want to make a purchase we’ve got the answer.  Head over to our online show and place your order.  Super easy and our family still gets 20% of your purchase.

Next week is our big Nothing Bundt Cake week.  I will remind you approximately 113 times next week that you should go buy some cake at the Hendersonville Nothing Bundt Cake store and our family will receive 10% of your purchase for our adoption expenses.  We would be incredibly grateful if you would eat cake on behalf of us next week.  Like every single day.  Cake for everyone.  Cake all around.  Full on cheat week.  I just know it’s going to be great.

Nothing like a serious post that ends with pandas, jewelry and cake.  Let’s love each other well.  Here’s to a weekend full of hope.

Happy Friday.

1 Comment

  1. Even though my past experiences (we all have them, bless our hearts) are telling me something different on this issue, what is beautiful to me about what I see in you, is your heart…seriously, it’s beautiful. It’s the reason I keep coming back and reading your posts. You know how you feel and you go forward with it with such conviction that it honestly makes me sit back and really question my own thoughts. Thank you!

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