My Hidden Messages Response

Preface: I started this while in Colorado, before my dear stepdad passed away (obviously).

Original Title: Who do I look down on?

So, I'm on vacation, right? I figured it would be a vacation from Blogland because we're WAY up in the boonies on the side of some mountain and I can see elk and mountain peaks from the HOT TUB on the PORCH!!

But, I hadn't figured on the determination of Mr. Clem. You'd think after 16 years, I wouldn't be surprised, but he got me. He brought all the dialup info and here we are! Oh, how I love that man!

So I've surfed, answered and even blogged a teeny bit. I've only checked the essential blogs, and that is how I got to this post by Boomama. I followed the links to the discussion started here and concluded here. I started to comment a couple of times, but I couldn't be succinct or even all that clear so I decided to try to blog my thoughts for anyone who's interested to read and/or comment on. That's how I arrived at the title of this post.

By this time, I hope anyone reading this has clicked over to the "backstory", so to speak.

Here are my thoughts on the issues raised.

First, in the interest of full disclosure: I am a stay-at-home, home schooling, breastfeeding, Reformed-theology (though I'm more a Believer Dunker than a Baby Sprinkler) Christian mother of 4 (so far) kids. I had all of my children via C-section, and have assisted in many home births. Oh, and in case it matters, I have a tattoo. Uh HUH! I really do!

Because our first child was our only child for 5 years, I experienced the end of the spectrum which declares that "smaller" families are selfish, lazy, unholy humanistic hedonists. Since that first child was conceived on our honeymoon, I was also subjected to the sage advice of an elderly lady IN OUR CHURCH that God's perfect plan would be for me to abort our baby because it was "too soon" to be having children and God would want us to wait until we were "more established and knew that our marriage would work" (I will NEVER forget those words!) to have children.

Because the details are only interesting to me, I'll skip ahead to today. I have four kids ("Are those all yours?") and we home school, though we've utilized public and private schools at different times.

I strongly feel (shocking, I know) that our current choices have been ordained by God and are the dab-smack (Okie for "exactly") center of His will.

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Okay, here's where I left off. I know that I was totally in my bloggity groove, and I was fixin' to be WAY PROFOUND, but at the moment, since my stepdad went to Jesus, my brain went to Bill Cosby (it's made of J-E-L-L - O). So, we'll forego profound and settle for The Bottom Line:

Here's what comes to mind whenever Christian-types start "showing concern" :~/ for other's choices...

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and THAT HE REWARDS THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK HIM. (emphasis mine)

What that means to me is that I can expect to be rewarded with God's presence, guidance, peace, love and provision as I seek Him with earnestness. I also expect that He offers the same reward to all humankind, so that when folks are doing stuff that seems off-base to me, I can ask our Father to cause them to seek Him earnestly, and to use me in any way He sees fit. Is Sister So-and-so acting in faith? It's possible she's pleasing God. I've found that, generally, people do the best they can and when they know better, they do better. I've also found, through grave errors in judgement on my part, that no one ever appreciates ME pointing out THEIR error (I know. I'm as shocked as you are), and when I try to do the Holy Spirit's job, people actually move FURTHER from God or any interest in Him! So...

I've made a covenant with my mouth, to keep it SHUT until the Spirit pries it open to speak "only what is helpful for building others up." It is my job to be available to participate with God in the transformation of other people into the likeness of Jesus (not...gasp!...Clemntine!)

Back to the title of this post: Are there people I feel superior to? Frankly, yes. The important point here is that the feeling of superiority is a HUGE RED FLAG for ME to re-align my thoughts, motives, words and actions with the truth of Scripture. It's time for ANOTHER open-heart surgery.

If the profound stuff ever works its way back to the surface, I'll be sure and post it.