To Sum Things Up…

    I’ve been very quiet lately.  A week and a half ago I became the “mother” of a sweet, beautiful, golden retriever puppy namedLucy Snowflake.  It’s been twenty years since I have had a puppy, and as I was only eight years old with Jetta, my lab/chow mix, this is my first time to be the “mommy.”

    In the eleven days that we’ve had her home with us, our world has completely changed, and I think it’s been in a good way.  We don’t spend entire evenings in front of a computer screen after having spent an entire day in front of one at work.  We have something totally dependent upon us for her well-being and who loves us just for loving her.

    My friends at work and I agree:  a couple should never consider having a baby until they raise a puppy or at least a kitten.  The first night Lucy was home, I got up twice with her.  Now, thankfully I only have to get up with her once a night, and she goes back to bed.  Thankfully she’s a quick learner.  Sometimes I think having a puppy is worse than having a baby because you don’t get maternity leave from work with a puppy, LOL.

    She made Christmas even more fun than usual.  We had our families to our house this year, so that is another reason for my being tired.  So much work goes into making a holiday enjoyable for everyone.  I think that we all had a very nice Christmas, and I hope we get to do the same next year.  The only crimp in the festivities was that Bart came down with a sever sinus infection.  He was so bad today that we took him to the doctor to rule our strep, pneumonia, and bronchitis.  Of course this had to happen while we’re on a long-anticipated vacation from work.

    So, to sum things up, despite slight illness, we’ve had a great Christmas.  In fact, 2007 has been a wonderful year. 
We’ve become homeowners, pet owners, celebrated a fourth year of marriage, and even bought a new car because mine was knocking on death’s door.  I pray that 2008 is even better than this year.  So, late Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Year.

Religious Bling: The Camouflage of Hypocrisy

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."
    Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 230

    It seems to me that in this day and age, you supposedly can't believe in anything without literally wearing those beliefs on your sleeve, your chest or back, your wrist, your skin (tattoos), or even plastered all over your automobile while screaming loudly to deafened ears just exactly what it is that you believe.  Whether you believe in animal rights, going green, Buddha, Allah, God, or the Underpants Gnomes, it seems you don't really believe it unless you display it to gross proportions.  The funny thing is though, have you ever noticed that more often than not, those who bark the loudest and make the showiest displays are often the biggest hypocrites?

    Growing up in a small, extremely Christian home and town, like most others I, along with most of my friends, proudly donned the swag of Christian pop culture, especially the WWJD movement.  Now I have absolutely nothing against the practice of "walking daily with Jesus" and trying to imitate Him.  That is what we as Christians are supposed to do. John 13:15 states, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."  Never in the Bible does it tell us to brag about our belief, our actions, and our "following" of Jesus.  They remind me of Ananias and Sapphira, whose story is found in Acts 5:1-11.

     1Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2With
his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself,
but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet.

 3Then
Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart
that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some
of the money you received for the land? 4Didn't
it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the
money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You
have not lied to men but to God."

 5When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

 7About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter asked her, "Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?"
      "Yes," she said, "that is the price."

 9Peter
said to her, "How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look!
The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they
will carry you out also."

 10At
that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came
in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her
husband. 11Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

   
     Now what did Ananias and Sapphira do that was so wrong before God?  They made a big show of giving to God under the pretense that they were giving all they had, when in fact they did not give all that they had.  God and the disciples would have been happy with any amount that Ananias and Sapphira gave.  However, they wanted to give the appearance of having given their everything in order to gain selfish, earthly fame and notoriety.  They wanted all the praise they would receive for being so righteous and hole without actually being so.

    I no longer wear the shirts.  The only religious jewelry that I wear is a cross that was a present from my brother-in-law.  I try not to make a big deal about boasting how often I attend church, where I attend church, or how many Bible verses I know.  I can say all these things, wear the right clothes, and listen to the right music, but if I'm not really living and experiencing a true relationship with God, then I'm just puffing up myself.  I'm no better than Al Gore preaching to everyone about greenhouse emissions while flying all over the feverish globe in his private jet constantly.  I am a hypocrite.

    With my own eyes, I have seen too many people whose lives don't add up to what they proclaim so loudly.  It has been disheartening to me, causing me to even lose friends to some extent through the years, but what does it show everyone else?  Perhaps those of us who proclaim so loudly that it is but a clattering gong or clanging cymbal are really overcompensating for hidden (or not so hidden) sins or even – even a lack of faith?

    We're all hypocrites to some extent, but shouldn't we all just strip ourselves of all the baggage?  It's time to shed the t-shirts, the bracelets, the bumper stickers; time to listen to other music and not condemn or boycott books and movies that may not agree with your personal beliefs.  Be secure in your faith enough for it to show through in you without the religious bling.  Stop trying to scream louder than the next fanatic because that is all any of us seem to be when we take things too far.  God gave us minds of our own.  Don't you think it's time we open them up to open them?