Friday, August 14, 2009

People are crazy.

It's just me and Daisy tonight.

I had to choose to go drinking or to go home. I picked home. I'm 21 and I don't think that drinking in moderation is bad, but drunkenness is a sin. No question about it. As I was leaving, I just kept telling myself, "That's not where a Christian writer needs to be." And as I walked to my car, I got more and more mad that I had chosen a profession that didn't allow me to be in situations like that. I can't be. I'll lose credibility as a writer. I'll have unending doubt as I tell young girls to not date disrespectful boys when I'll tolerate it all the time on the basis that, "it's not really them because they're drunk."

Tonight it's just me and Daisy. I'm going to read a book about football to get ready for my new internship and get scared by Criminal Minds. It'll be worth it one day...you just wait and see.

-jg

Monday, August 10, 2009

Lily among thorns.

It’s rare that I find a book I agree with. To date, I’ve never found a book about Christian women that I agree with…until now. I just finished Set-Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy and while I don’t agree with everything, I do love some parts of this book.

Here are some of my favorite quotations from the book:

“Set-Apart femininity blends the classic womanly grace and dignity of Audrey Hepburn with the sacrificial, poured-out-for-Christ lifestyle of Amy Carmichael.”

“The preoccupations of young women don’t seem to change much from generation to generation. But in every generation, there seem to be a few who make other choices.” –Elisabeth Elliot. (If you know me well at all, you know I absolutely love Elisabeth Elliot).

“But we must ask ourselves this question-what kind of guys are we seeking to attract? Do we really want to win the heart of a self-focused man who is only interested in our worldly allure and sex appeal? Or do we want to win the heart of a man who has been captured by Jesus Christ, a guy who sees the priceless value of a woman who shines with His spectacular radiant loveliness?”

“If you desire a beautiful, lasting, God-written love story, hold out for a guy who values the things that your heavenly Prince values.”

On college campuses across this country, it is regarded as ‘healthy’ for a young woman to be able to completely shut off her emotions and have mindless sex with any random guy she meets, not caring at all if he ever calls her again. But once upon a time, feminine dignity was carefully protected. Womanly mystery was held in high esteem. And gallant men counted it a privilege to tenderly win and woo their lady-love’s heart.”

“Too many young women are afraid to rise up with confidence and walk firmly in their commitments. The nurturing, caring side of them doesn’t like hurting people’s feelings, so they end up leaving a door open for a guy when it should be nicely but firmly shut in his face.”

“As a single woman, rather than putting life on hold until you get married, orient your life around joyfully serving others. As you practice becoming the servant of all, serving your husband will come naturally in marriage, and you will gain greater blessings than you could ever imagine.”

“If you pour out yourself for the hungry and satisfy the desires of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom shall be as the noonday. Here, I think, lies the answer to the barrenness of a single life, or of a life that might otherwise be selfish or lonely. It is the answer, I have found, to depression as well. You yourself will be given light in exchange for pouring yourself out, you yourself will get guidance, the satisfaction of your longings, and strength when you pour yourself out when you make the satisfaction of somebody else’s desire your own concern.” –Elisabeth Elliot.

“The world is absolutely flooded with those who are destitute of daily food and clothes. About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. That’s one person every three and a half seconds. In Latin America and Africa, countless children are addicted to inhalants as a means of deadening their senses to their bodies’ desperate cries for food. In Liberia thousands of pregnant women and young children pound rocks all day long on the side of a mountain and in the hot sun just to get one bowl of watery rise. These people have a claim on your life. They have a claim on my life. They are a priority to Christ and therefore must become a priority to us. If we are so preoccupied with self that we will not show the practical, life-changing, hope-giving love of Christ to them, our faith is dead.”

Other parts of this book dealt with matters such as “being a lily among thorns,” waiting for the boy to initiate a relationship and maintaining your feminine mystique.

Given, it didn’t really teach me anything new, but I loved so much to hear someone else say what I’ve been thinking for so long now. It was like calling an old friend to hear her say, “You’re right.” But, you know, in the end, I guess that’s all I want. I want to get to heaven and have Jesus say, “you were right.”