Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Rapture and the unborn

Lately, I have been thinking about tribulation and all of that not-so-lovely stuff to come (mostly because my boyfriend and my father are both on these end-of-the-world kicks for some reason and have been reading Left Behind and all these survival books...you know...anyway, I blame them).

So, I just have one question. I am not sure if I am looking for fact or opinion here because, as far as my research goes, there isn't a definitive answer. I guess that means I am searching for more of an opinion. Or perhaps simply searching to stimulate your mind and get you thinking independently on the subject.

Anyway...here's my question:
What about the unborn?

Obviously, when Christians are taken from the earth at the time of the Rapture, babies (and children who have not yet reached the age of accountability) will be taken as well. But what about the babies who have not yet been born?
They are babies, too.
With that being said, will they be taken from the womb (since that is where life begins) if they have already been conceived? And if they are, how will it happen--what will the mothers see and feel (will it be like a miscarriage or will it be as though she was never pregnant)?

Or will babies be taken directly after birth?
Will they simply disappear once they have been born?
Or will God keep them there to live with those who were left behind until everything is over? And would that be fair to the poor child--to live through that kind of suffering on earth because he or she simply was a little late being born?

This brings me to babies conceived after the Rapture, of course. Do women just not get pregnant after the Rapture? Is that the end of human reproduction?
If they are allowed to get pregnant, are those children (since they are conceived afterward) then taken directly from the womb? The same questions are present with those conceived beforehand, of course.

I just have so many questions related to this subject, so I think I will just go ahead and stop because you should get my point.

What happens?!

Monday, February 14, 2011

"I know how you feel."

Is that not one of the most annoying things a person can tell you? It honestly does not matter what is going on in your life or how bad you are feeling in that moment, someone will always "know how you feel." But, in reality, those people NEVER know how you feel.

And you just want to grab some duct tape, close their mouths, and tie them to chairs to make them shut up.

Sound familiar?

It doesn't make much sense. You could have just been diagnosed with cancer, lost your home, dealt with a sick parent, and found out your job was in jeopardy. But do these people really care? Nope! There will always be someone there who will decide to compare his own life with yours and decide his is worse and, thus, just HAVE to share it with you. "Oh, yeah. I know how you feel! I lost my puppy last year...it was just like this." I mean, do people seriously think before they talk?

And why in the world do people want to compete with you for position of "worst life" or "worst experience?" You would think it would be more fun to know you haven't experienced that and have been blessed with a wonderful life. You'd think people would enjoy looking at the positive elements of their lives more. Wouldn't you think that?!
No? Alright. Maybe it's just me.

AND, rewinding a little bit here: Even if this other person's house was bombed and then his dog and 16 children were eaten by a sea monster, is it really going to make you feel better at that moment? No...but it might make you feel worse (yay)! And, STILL, does that person really know how you feel? No. Of course not.

No one will ever know how you feel. Ever. Because everyone has different experiences. And even if two people have the exact same experience, they will always interpret that experience in two different ways...perhaps similarly, perhaps not.

So.
You don't want to hear other people's long, drawn-out stories of their own personal misery?
You don't want people to tell you they "know how you feel" when they obviously don't know?
You don't want any of this? At all? Are you sure? Really?
Too bad...'cause you'll get it anyway.

I wish more people would understand the concept of listening. Sometimes people do not want to hear your irrelevant stories that have nothing to do with their lives that are crashing and burning as they wince in pain. Sometimes people just need someone who will listen to them and love on them and show them that they have people surrounding them who love them, care for them, and will be there through those difficult times...even though they DON'T understand.

Sometimes admitting you don't understand the person's situation but loving them anyway, simply knowing you have felt hurt or scared or distressed in some form or fashion in the past...and knowing you needed the same things...is a better option.

Disclaimer: This is not to discredit the beauty of support groups and things of that nature. Totally different thing. I know those are actually quite helpful for people. But even then, people all come with different backgrounds and stories and experiences.

It is, of course, nice to know that we are not alone. It is nice to know there are others out there who have been where we have been and can get us through the same way they got through...but there is a line. A line between helping and boasting. A line between appropriate timing and just not thinking before speaking. A very definitive line sometimes that people just choose to ignore.

Monday, January 17, 2011

More Beautiful You

God wants us to know that beauty isn't in the magazines or on the television screen...it's not in the pasts we hang over our heads or in anything that society tells us. Society loves spreading lies and we have to choose to block it out and spread a message of truth instead--the truth that God made us each beautifully and no one could replace any one of us...not even more society-approved "beautiful" versions of us.

No one can replace you because there could never be a more beautiful YOU.



I know I post this song on Facebook every now and then and talk about it all the time, but I really just love the song and the message it brings. And I hope it serves as a reminder to you that you are beautifully and wonderfully made. We are all different, but we are all beautiful, too.

P.S. Tell Her She's Beautiful is an event someone started on Facebook. It lasts for the whole month of February this year and the point of it is simply to tell someone she (or he!) is beautiful...tell everyone. Make sure everyone knows they are beautiful!