In the time of need?

Unfortunately, I have never been more disgusted, more disappointed, with the human race as I was today.

                I went on YouTube to see about the tornadoes that have affected the Great Plains. I was not prepared for the devastation that I saw. It’s surreal to see so many people, so many homes and businesses, so many trees, all gone. It looks like a steamroller went over expansions of America’s Breadbasket. I’m kind of overwhelmed with just how terrible conditions are, there. But, then, I think, what are these people going through? Can you even imagine? No. You can’t. The loss of everything around them. I have so much respect for the victims of these storms, because I cannot even fathom the heartbreak and pain they’re dealing with. It reminds me just how strong Americans are. Just how strong communities can be.

But, then, I read the comments on the videos.

                I was expecting to find things like, “Our prayers are with you.” Or, “I’m sorry this has happened.” Or, “You all are in our thoughts.” That’s not at all what I found. Almost every comment was either something calling someone out for believing in God, or it was a post of how God is punishing us for gay marriage, or something about how the other partisanship is to blame. 

               Come on people. What has become of America? We have our neighbors that are struggling and broken. And, instead of trying to lift them up, people are arguing over which partisanship is better. I’m completely dumbfounded at how people have let a “label” cloud their judgment and sense of compassion.

Please, please realize that whether you are to the left or to the right, if you’re gay or straight, or if you were born here or are considered a Permanent Resident, we are all Americans. And, our neighbors are hurting. Don’t think for a second that it’s okay to behave this way. It’s not.

• Christians, pray for these people. If you can do more, then do. 
• Atheists and agnostics, think of these people. Help them, if you can. 
• Other religions, do what you can to help.

We, as humans, owe it to each other to take care of each other when we can. To reach out to those that need our help.

• Religion does not dictate whether you help someone. 
• Sexual orientation does not dictate whether you help someone. 
• Race or gender does not dictate whether you help someone.

Your individual character, who you are, dictates that.

All of those affected by these terrible storms, please know that I am praying for you, with all that I am. The respect that I have for you grows each and every day. 

Stay strong. <3  

Same Sex Marriage

In light of all of the buzz going on about legislation regarding same sex marriage, I thought I'd clear things up. 

Is this okay? That is, same sex marriage. 

This question is incomplete. You can't really answer this question. First, figure out in what sense you're speaking of. There's really two options: 1) religiously speaking and 2) politically speaking. 

Here's why I can't agree.

Religion. 

I've said on my blogging excursions before that I am a Christian. I'm not ashamed of it, and that means that I will defend my morals with no apologies. 

At this time in my life, I've yet to read any scripture to validate the act of homosexuality. For me, this is a sin, just like premarital sex or lying. If I don't condone or promote these things, then I can't promote or condone same sex marriage. 

Here's why it's not up to me. 

Government. Separation of church and state. 

Now, contrary to what I said early, it is politically correct to allow people to marry freely. It is not a Senator or Governor's place to tell any other person who to marry. 

With that said, it's between the political leaders and God whether they support same sex marriage, just like it's up to people who live a gay lifestyle to follow through with that lifestyle. I'm not judging anyone. I firmly believe that every single human on earth deserves the utmost respect and kindness. 

Another thing: It's not like I'm saying that a person is (or is not) born gay. I think that some are, actually. But, some people are born alcoholics, kleptomaniacs, and etc. Not that I'm calling homosexual people diseased or criminals, cause that's silly. It's just that any one person can be born craving one sin, in particular. 

My motivation for this post.

I was browsing through Twitter, and I noticed a post by the C.E.O of a very large coffee company. He was saying if you support traditional marriages, then they don't want you're business. What is the point of saying that you want respect and equality if you are going to attack me. That is just ridiculous. Onesidedness. I don't like that. 

If you don't agree with someone's point of view, then that's okay. Don't pass judgement on me, because I believe in Christ. It's like people boycotting Chik-Fil-A, just because the C.E.O. believes in traditional marriage. He did not say that he hated the gay community. He didn't say he didn't want their business. He was just stating his opinions and beliefs.

Is that not what all of the gay community is doing with rainbow flags? What about protesting in Washington D.C.? 

That is the same thing. 

And, you don't see me mocking them, belittling them, or saying awful things about them. 

No matter what you believe, give others respect. Don't belittle their beliefs, just because they don't match your own. God bless. 

Soapbox 1.0

Sometimes, I'm amazed at the hypocrisy that I experience on a daily basis. Sure, everybody goes against their word every now and again, but I feel as those some do this without a care in the world to change that. 

It's been on my mind for a while to write about this, to vent about this, so forgive me if I ramble or rant a bit.

First, let's start with me. 
I'm more conservative than anything. I appreciate tradition and agree with views aligned with my Faith. 
I am a Christian.
Now, with that being said, I'm the kind of Christian that does not believe in judging others or putting anyone down. Personally, I feel that that's what Christians should strive for. I'm no better than anyone, that is for sure. I will not stand on a crowded street screaming "you are all condemned!" I don't know someone's heart. I can't make that call. I'm a Christian, not a Hillarian. I follow Jesus Christ, not myself or anyone else, and He teaches to love others.

Here's where I think the struggle really begins.
Just because you love everyone does not mean that you condone the sin or agree with that way of life.
I treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve, but I don't approve of things that go against what the Bible says. Does that make me a bad person? Some would argue yes.

Get to the point, already.
Okay. We've established the background. I think that maybe you understand what in trying to get at. Here's the issue: one-sidedness.
Please, don't disrespect me for my views when I've never done this to you. I realize there are bad people on this Earth. Everybody deals with that. It's a fact of life.
"Life's tough. Get a helmet." -Boy Meets World.

Christianity and Conservative is not synonymous with close minded or cruel. I feel like it's become socially acceptable to allow traditional views to be threw under the bus without a fight, because you'll offend someone if you stand up. I've been offended more times than not, but it's going to happen. America is such a melting pot that you will offend many and be offended that many more times over.
It's important to discuss, not cuss (catchy, I know, it just came to me). Communication is vital.

Call to Action
Don't disrespect me, if you expect respect in return. Learn and understand why someone believes differently than you. The Bible says that Christians should win people over by their actions. I'm doing what I can. Are you?
If your not a Christian, I would encourage you to get to know Jesus. He's saved my life, and I can't imagine where I would be without Him. But, I respect your decision. It's your life.

Thank you for reading.
God bless
-Hillary

National Siblings Day

Yesterday on Facebook, there was some odd occurrence of National Siblings Day tributes. Now, I don't know if you know this, but National Siblings Day is April 10th. September 26th is actually another holiday, National Pancake Day. However, this got me thinking. Why do you need a National Siblings Day to tell your brother or sister that you love them? You don't. This is a tough subject for me, because my brother passed away in 2006. My 20 year old brother was taken from me and my family. I can't tell him anymore that I love him and appreciate him. So, I guess it kind of bothers me when I know personally that some of the individuals that were posting these 'oh so touching' tributes, actually tell their brothers/sisters that they hate them. Now, maybe it's just me, but I never told my brother that I hated him. I never felt hate for him. Sure, we had fights. What siblings don't? But, I couldn't even imagine feeling that way towards him. I looked up to him so much, because he was the type of person that never met a stranger. He could always make someone laugh. I'm not glorifying him; he did some things that I don't agree with, but he straightened up. I guess I just wanted to say that, everyone out there, no matter how 'annoying' your sibling may seem, there may be a moment when you can't go back, when it's too late to say you're sorry. Luckily, I'm not in that boat. The night before that car hit my brother head on, I baked him a cake and told him I loved him. Could you say the same thing? Do me a favor. Don't wait until April the tenth or September the twenty-sixth or any other random date to tell your sibling how much they mean to you. Tell them every day. Hug them tight, and hold them close, because you can never know if that will be your last chance.  

In Loving Memory of Dustan Ross
8/12/85 - 5/26/06

Responsibility

Everyone needs it, but nobody wants it. That's right, I'm talking about responsibility. Thanks to the obvious fact that I'm just oozing responsibility, I now have a stress headache for something that I just volunteered for. I was dealing with crisis after crisis, placing people where I thought they should go, and dealing with upset people. None of these things were in my job description. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to be trusted. I guess it's how you look at things. I'm wanting to look at the bright side, but it hurts to look at the light, what with the headache. That's the part that's hard: dealing with the uncomfortable things that come with doing the right thing. Although my head hurts, I know that I made it a better experience for some people today and yesterday, and that's awesome. If I can make someone else's uncomfortable situation easier, then that's what I'm here for. I guess that's why it's so important to be nice to everyone you come in contact with. You never know what they're dealing with. Give them a smile. It may be the difference between life and death, hope and hopelessness, pain and coping. Yeah, that sounds a little extreme when you lay it out like that, but you can never know. See? Never. So, keep smiling. And, pray. Not just when all else fails, but when everything is going great, because there's Someone to thank for it. God bless and good night.

Calculus...and Bible Study?

Today, I was reminded of how difficult it is to take the long way. Whether it's taking the derivative of a function, walking around a crowd of crazed people screaming we're all doomed for Hell, or just finishing a job completely and to the best of my abilities. I've always been the one that wanted to half-do or half-heart something. It's not that I've never cared, it's just that I've been focused on getting everything done. Hasn't that been the goal for most? Finish this. Do this before tomorrow.
In my ladies' class at church, we started studying a book called The Resolution for Women by Patricia Shirer. She talks about how rushing through life is discontentment. How true is that? I'm not content with what the Good Lord has given me now, even though I have what I need, and mostly what I want, so I'm wishing my life away to get to a point in my life where I'll say, "That'll do." But, can that ever happen? You see, when you're looking forward to the end of the week, and it gets here, then you can't wait for the end of the month. Maybe you're super excited for next semester. Maybe you want to be done with college. Now what? You want a significant other, 2.5 kids, and a Labrador Retriever. When you get that, you're ready for your kids to be grown. You see what I'm saying? It's about time to put on the breaks and "enjoy the go," as said by the Charmin commercials. Okay, maybe I'm not going that far, but maybe I'll learn to love the long way around. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but they call it the scenic route because not it's the quickest path, but because it has the most beautiful views. So, here's to enjoying life, every single second of it, and taking the scenic route more often. Here's to my ladies' class that brought me to this wonderful book, and here's to Calculus for connecting that great book to my here and now. God bless.

Maybe it's just me.

Maybe it's just me, or maybe I know it's not, but I find myself more and more surprised with what I encounter everyday, and sometimes, even what I'm doing. I get caught up in the moment, non-romantically, speaking. The next thing I know, I'm creating a blog at 10:29 at night, one hour passed my "self-declared" bedtime. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to break your declarations when you verbally say them? I guess that's why I called it a declaration. Lucky for me, the fine gentlemen that started this country didn't go back on their Declaration. I also have slacked on some work that I knew I was going to get done. Well, here it sets on my desk. I'll get to it tomorrow, right? You see, I've kind of turned over a new leaf. It's the I-know-that-I'll-never-catch-up leaf. I'm in college with 19 hours in Secondary Ed. Mathematics. Now is not the time for this, especially a month into the semester. I'm kind of hoping this blog will either a) get me on track from writing down things or b) relieve some stress. As of now, I'm not going to get much sleep, and I don't really have any more pressing business to address, so good night and God bless.