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Thursday, January 6, 2011

Stop Me Before I Pass the Plate

One thing I am certainly not in this life is consistant.

My house is not consistently tidy, my weight is not consistently the same. Let's not even talk about my hormones...! I would so love to be as on time as the Red Line, but alas, that's just not me.

I probably don't need to tell you this. If you read this blog regulary you know one day I will be talking about a recipe, and the next, body odor. I'm throwing out this disclaimer, though, because I am going to begin writing more candidly about faith, a topic that hasn't appeared often as I go about my typical babble.

Though I wasn't baptized until my late 20's, I've always been a Christian. Still, even after serving on my church's council and joining small groups for Bible study I have never felt entirely natural talking about my faith, and there are a few reasons why:

  • I'm by no means a theologian or even a good Bible scholar, so I try to only spout off things in total confidence that I know like the back of my hand - Dolly Parton lyrics, for example, or the vegatable of the day at Cracker Barell.
  • Christian vernacular sometimes turns me off. Words like "blessed" and "called" and "led" while probably heartfelt when offered or even heard by others seem trite to me because they are so over-used - like the secular equvilant of calling someone "sweet", or the Southern backhanded offering of "Bless her heart".
  • I think faith is highly personal, so to share alot about my walk {"walk" - there's a buzz word for you!} is to venture outside my comfort zone. I'd rather just tell you how much I weigh, or that I need regular chin waxings.
I will be daring to share, though, because I do believe no matter what one's religion, so many of us share similar struggles, and I believe so much that being candid about the problems we face - and especially how we work through them - can help other people. Empathy is good medicine. I know, because recently I've been so inspired by bloggers who  I feel are painfully honest in sharing how their faith is sustaining that it has not only made me want to re-establish faith in my life, but maybe even share about it.

So please, if I start to sound hokey or insincere, or if I pass the virtual offering plate, asking you to send me money that I will give to God and then you see photos of me wearing a pair of Louboutins be very quick to tell me, and I will interrupt my occassional blogevengalism to remind you how cute my dog is....deal?

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4 comments:

Southern H and H said...

I share your hesitancy! The people who are so loud in their testimonies often make me wonder if it's for show. Isn't that terrible of me?

I think I've told you before that I am trying to be more intentional in my daily living, including my faith. I post a scripture verse on my blog each Sunday to keep me focused on that. It isn't much, but it's a start.

Excited to see where your journey takes you.

Kate Spears said...

This is definitely an issue that I have struggled with. While I do have very definite beliefs, I've often hesitated to put them out there on my blog. But blogging is nothing if not a platform for honesty, so maybe we should all consider sharing more of this part of ourselves in this way....preach on sister and maybe I'll join in with the choir!

AnnieLaurie said...

I am excited to read more of this! I agree with Kate, honest blogs are the best and I think we all have enough sense to know when its a show and when its not. Good job girlfriend!!

Katy Morlas said...

So funny as always! You have such a great sense of humor. And I completely understand your hesitance in talking about matters of faith. It's something that's so deeply personal for me. I think it's brave and wonderful that you are going to talk more about it.

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