CrazyGirl observes Perspective

So, lately I've been thinking. About our society, and their views on Jesus and Christianity. And to be 110% honest, society has it all wrong.
First and foremost, society (for the most part) seems to think that the Holy Trinity is this loving, teddy-bear-like, wish-granting thing that Christians use to have an oh-so-happy life. FALSE. Our God is indeed loving, but that love comes right alongside a wrath. I mean, think about it, God saw all the evil on the earth, and the evil intentions of man, but he didn't sit down and have a heart-to-heart with man. He didn't say "No no. Go in time out." No. God wiped out the Earth. *BAM* Huge flood, no people left except Noah and his family (and of course all the animals). Or look at Sodom and Gommorah; you know, where the people were living in sin and had turned away from God to fulfill their earthly desires? God didn't give them a little smack on their hand and hope that would do the trick; he wiped them out. And when Lot's wife didn't listen and looked back? She became a pillar of salt . . . salt. God also states in Romans that "the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people . . . For although they knew God they neither glorified him nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened . . . Because of this God gave them over to sinful lusts . . . Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but approve of those who practice them." I'm sorry, but if that doesn't shatter this "teddy bear," "let's-all-just-live-in-peace" idea of who God is, then I can't really help you.
The other thing I've noticed is that when Jesus was here on the Earth, in the flesh of man, he was NOT afraid to step on toes. You didn't agree with his theology? Too bad. He was getting his wisdom from the Most High, and that kinda trumps your flawed, human theology.
The thing is, a lot of people think that if you're a Christian you are supposed to be this little, goody-two-shoes, who goes to church every Sunday and is basically perfect. Either that or you are the most raging hypocrite they have ever crossed paths with and you just need to go to You-Know-Where and usually a few other choice words follow those statements. But, God didn't send his son so we can sit in a pew on Sundays and judge the other people in our church. Jesus didn't die on a cross so we can have potlucks and gossip-fests. Not that fellowship isn't important, because it definitely is, but we've reached a point where our fellowship is our faith. God called us to be fishers of men, not back row baptists. We're supposed to be out in the world, sharing the Good News, even if we step on some toes along the way. Now, as a church, I think we tend to focus on these HUGE issues, like war, gay marriage, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc. But, at the risk of stepping on a few toes, maybe we ought to start closer to home; literally.
You see, I think we could combat these issues more easily if we started admitting we have issues of our own. It's so hard to let others know you are struggling, but that's why God wants us to fellowship. And the thing is, so many Christians have lost touch with the Biblical idea of marriage. One man. One woman. The man is to be the head of the household. Wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. I don't mean that women get no say and we need to go back to the "old" ways. But, as a body of Christ, we need to start looking at the flaws modern feminism presents to a Biblical standard of marriage.
God designed us differently on purpose. He created women with a natural tendency to nurture. He created men with a natural desire to provide. Woman came out of man's rib, so that she could be a partner and supporter to him in his life. I'm not saying women are lesser than men, but simply that we are created with a different purpose in mind. God gave us the abilities needed to care for a home, God gave men the role of provider. But lately we have pushed this idea that women have equal rights and women need to be exactly equal to men so much that the idea of a woman caring for the household is considered absurd. But, if the woman is working equally as much as the man, and neither can be "lowered" (I don't actually mean that, but I've heard the term used before when referring to being a housewife) to the task of child-rearing, where does that leave the children? If the children of this generation have no backbone at home, no example of marriage built on partnership and God's ideal for marriage, then they will suffer greatly when it comes time to build a marriage of their own. The less structure these children have, the more loose their morals become, and when the generation as a whole has loosened morals we end up in a world with some crazy ideas of normal. To quote one of my favorite bands, where the singer is talking about writing to the President of the United States to address some issues he sings "Same sex marriage in a state where they don't care, murder is wrong, but the jail time's not fair, not to mention date rape, felony, and car theft, break it down and tell me what we got left." Think about how normal some of these things are. And their normalcy will just continue to grow if we don't give children a structured home life, which again starts with a biblically based marriage. Later, in that same song, we come to the bridge where the singer brings up "Take a good look at Tommy, he's a track star, good role model, has a chance to go real far. Then the school made a budget cut, cut out the track team, now instead Tommy is a crackhead." As a junior higher, listening to Hawk Nelson, I thought this was a rather clever line and it made me giggle. But, as I've grown older and began my studies to be a teacher, I realized the very heavy truth behind it. Not only are our children suffering at the expense of us and our government, but what about the fact that the only stability in "Tommy's" life was school and track? Where are the parents of this generation? Why is the school system being depended upon for the raising of your children? There are so many flaws in thinking that the school should be raising your child for you. (But I won't get into those now, I could write like three blog posts about that.)
Anyway, to summarize what I've just babbled at you; we have crept away from the biblical standards for marriage, it's affecting the quality of marriages, it's affecting children, and it's affecting our society as a whole. We can start to fix a number of problems, but it needs to start at home, a Christ-centered home.
Til Next Time,
CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl observes Older Sisters

How many of you have older sisters? Yeah. I have one too. And the truth is, we didn't have the sugar-coated relationship that people seem to assume happens when you and your sister are close in age. In fact, for most of my childhood we fought. I can remember countless games of Barbie dolls where Lauren wanted something I had and she threatened to quit playing if I didn't give it to her. And I was definitely the MASTER at pushing her buttons (but only I was allowed to do so; you messed with her, I'd kick your butt.) I so wanted to be the opposite of her. She started wearing make-up? Fine. I wanted nothing to do with the nasty crap. She liked back to school shopping? I hated it. She spent time curling her hair before school? Cool. I was going to roll out of bed and throw mine into a ponytail. We would not be alike. I was determined. 

I figured that when she left for school, we would just eliminate the copious amounts of fighting that went on through junior high and high school. But, then I started noticing the other changes. I lost the person who knew the most about me. I lost my closest friend and strongest ally. I quickly began to notice the gigantic hole that had been left. 

Amazingly, through God's plan, we ended up at Simpson together for this past school year. It was like realizing I'd had a built in best friend all those years, and I had taken her for granted. The thing is, after those three years where she wasn't right down the hall (or now down the road), I'm realizing just how amazing a woman God has placed in my life. She's smart and beautiful, and funny. She puts up with all of me (which is an amazing feat in itself), and still will call me up to hang out. She's got a strong relationship with God, and an inner beauty that reflects it. Everyone who meets her is endeared by her. And I am thanking God everyday for giving me the opportunity to be her sister and the honor to be her friend (FINALLY). 

The thing is, God only gives us the siblings we have. Sometimes they might be annoying (I'm the master at that). Sometimes they hurt our feelings. But, all in all, they're our family and God blessed us with them. Don't take that for granted. 

Til Next Time,

CrazyGirl♥

I'm BAAAAACCCK!

Hey lovely followers♥
I apologize for my silence. I had some, er, technical difficulties (AKA my computer didn't want to connect to the internet) which kept me from my blog. In case you didn't know, I MISSED YOU GUYS. I love this blog and all my wonderful followers. And, that's what brings me to the point of this post.
As I may have mentioned before, I can check my "stats" or see how many times what post has been viewed by people other than myself, or where my followers are reading from, etc. It's pretty nice just to know that since I've been silent, people have continued to read my blog. Whether they stumbled across it by random happenstance, or read it because they know me and wanted to be supportive, or just wanted to know if someone out there was as crazy as them, I don't know. But, my numbers have gone up. Now PLEASE do not mistake that for me being all about the numbers. I honestly would probably continue to write this blog even if no one was reading regularly.
Twice in the past week, I have been told by friends that they read my blog and it made a connection. I couldn't ask for anything more from my blog. It's not famous, it's not fancy, and I know not everyone agrees with me. But to make a connection with someone, for something I wrote to strike a note with someone else, well, it's humbling. Here I am, sitting at a laptop, typing away about my random thoughts about WHATEVER, and somehow, someway, it's making a connection. I never could have DREAMED that for this blog, and yet, God knew it would happen, He orchestrated it perfectly so that my posts could connect with not one, but TWO different people. I can't begin to express how happy that makes me, and how much your prayers and continued readings of my randomness means to me. So, thank you all, so much. Here's to many, MANY more CrazyGirl♥ posts!
Til Next Time,

 CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl rants

Okay, so I know I've been on my blog a LOT lately (my mind has been hard at work apparently). But, there is something that has started bothering me more and more lately. And it's about our self-worth as women and men.
I have a Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I see these young ladies, beautiful young ladies I might add, who are basing so much of their self-worth off of stupid social media fads. It doesn't make THEM stupid, they just don't know any different. They've grown up in an era where social media dictates friendships and is a place to receive gratification from people that they might not even know. They think that having the most handsome "MCM" (that's Man Crush Monday for those of you wondering) or being a "WCW" (Woman Crush Wednesday) to the most guys is what validates their self worth. They have no sense of their worth as a person in the real world or at least a very VERY jaded view of what that means. They can't fathom their beauty in the eyes of Christ, because they haven't been anyone's "WCW." Most of what is posted on social media jades their perception of what is "normal" or "cool" or "worthwhile." Social media takes the popularity contest out of high schools and brings it home with these kids. Home isn't the safe haven that they come to knowing they can escape the insanity high school can be. The craziness is ALWAYS in the palm of their hand. And they KNOW that that other girl is getting MORE likes than them on Instagram.
It's also jaded the view these kids have of romance. I hate to break it to you, but a "Good Morning" text is not the most romantic gesture a man can think of. What about REAL romance? Like going out stargazing (withOUT the cellphones present) or being handpicked some wildflowers? What about singing songs or writing poems? Handwritten love letters? Better yet, what happened to the gentlemen introducing themselves to the girls' parents? Now it's okay for him to send a text "Hey. I'm out front" and honking the horn. Ladies, I don't mean to diss your man, but don't settle for that. You deserve respect. Men, be better than that. Hold the door for her. Meet her parents. And both of you, PUT THE PHONE DOWN. If you want to get to know someone, you have to spend quality time talking to them, finding out their mannerisms, their inflections, all the little details we don't seem to notice because we're all glued to little devices that run our lives and dictate the way we view ourselves and our self worth.
Besides the little rant I just gave, if you take anything out of this, let it be this: You are wonderfully and beautifully made. You are loved by the Creator of this Universe, which is worth more than being a "MCM" or "WCW." Remember your worth and beauty in the Savior, and you won't have to base your worth off of social media (which isn't worth it). 
Til Next Time,

CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl♥ observes a Letter

Dear Future Husband,
I can't wait for the day that I meet you. Who knows? Perhaps we have met. (That would be pretty wild.)
Anyway, before that day that we become serious about one another, there is some stuff I think you should know.
First of all, so many girls say "I want a relationship like Chuck and Blair" or "I want a Lily and Marshall relationship" or "I want to have what Donna and Eric have." And while at one point I have been guilty of such a statement, I now realize how wrong I was. I don't want what Chuck and Blair, Lily and Marshall, or Donna and Eric have, because I want what God has planned for us. I don't want to settle for a romance any less than ours.
Secondly, I know that temptations lie all around you, easily within  reach at all times. Just know that I'm praying for you to have the strength to say no to those temptations. But, should you give in to temptation, know that unless you hold onto that and let it affect the present, there is absolutely no reason for me to hold the past against you. I hope you can do the same for me, because I'm not going to pretend to be perfect. I'm only human.
That brings me to my third point. You see, I spent years unsure of myself, my weight, my looks, my personality, everything about myself really. But, as I grow up and mature, I'm learning that before I can truly love someone else and accept their love for me, I have to love myself. I'm not always going to have good days. You can rest assured of that. I cry; sometimes for no reason whatsoever. And when I cry, my mascara runs in a very obvious manner. Sometimes I get angry about stupid stuff. I'm not exactly a ray of sunshine when I first wake up. I occasionally talk in my sleep. And twitch. I try to pick up on others' emotions, but I'm not always good at it, so you might have to tell me what's on your mind, and I will try to do the same. I'm sure that there will be stressful times in our life together. Maybe our money situation will get bad at times, or there will be family stress. We will have to deal with up-all-night screaming baby sessions, the terrible twos, adolescence, our teenage daughter's first broken heart. But, rest assured, despite my haggard looks, and half asleep conversations with you, there is no one else I would rather face every obstacle in my life with (that's why I chose to marry you, silly. I could have said no if I wanted to).
My final point is this: I chose you. As I write this letter, I am a VERY single twenty year old, holding out for the right man. Believe me when I say that I'm not willing to settle for the first man to flatter me a little bit. So, if we're married, it means that I prayed about it and God and I came to the conclusion that YOU are the man for ME. I know you aren't perfect, you're only human, same as me. You will probably push my buttons. I'm sure we'll fight. Maybe you have a past. I understand that you have quirks and emotions and that you think WAY differently than me. But, despite any quirks you might have, I absolutely love you. With every fiber of my being. And I'm so glad we chose to spend the rest of our lives together.
Your Crazy Girl,
Katie♥

CrazyGirl observes Her Thoughts on Dating

If you haven't noticed this about me yet, relationships (or the lack thereof) play a large part in my life. I don't try to make them, I don't wake up each morning and think "Yes, let's obsess over relationships today." But it seems that everywhere I turn, another relationship is there, or someone is talking about relationships, or somehow there is a reminder that relationships exist. At school, at work, at church, when I'm with my friends. Relationships and the pressure to date have become such necessities in our society. Now, I'm not one to say we shouldn't have relationships in our lives, or even to say we shouldn't have romantic relationships in our lives, but people seem to think that at 20 years old, since I haven't held hands with anyone, or ever been kissed, or had a real boyfriend (sorry junior high "special friends" I don't think that really counts. . .), or even really been on a real date (I've been on ONE blind date at an event for my college, it was fun, and he was great, but it wasn't romantic in any way), that means that you've pretty much destined yourself for a life as an old maid or a crazy cat lady (sorry to disappoint, but that won't ever happen, I'm more of a dog person myself). WHY IS THAT? I'm still young, I'm still trying to finish school. Yes, my dream career is to be a stay-at-home mom to my children, but maybe that's not God's plan. I would really like to hope it is, but I have to learn to trust that God knows what He's doing. Because He does and I don't. If I controlled every aspect of my life, and got everything I wanted, I'd be married to my kindergarten crush. . .since kindergarten. I don't think that would be such a great life (I mean, he's nice and all. . .but I don't see us working together today. Haha.)
I had a well meaning friend of mine tell me that maybe it's time to try online dating. I have nothing against it, and I know plenty of couples who have worked out very well by connecting through online dating. There's no Biblical evidence to suggest that it's wrong in any way, BUT I don't feel like it's the thing for me. I'm too much of an old-fashioned romantic. I'd love to bump into a handsome stranger, fall madly in love, get married, and start a family (okay, so I'm missing a few steps, but there's the shortened version). Or maybe meet a guy in class. Or SOMETHING. I'm a hopeless romantic, always have been, always will be. God created me that way for a reason.
Now, in today's world, we're taught very VERY conflicting things. As women, we're taught that men should not view us as an object, that we shouldn't allow men to view us in a sexual manner (unless we're trying to get sex). BUT, we're also taught that we should dress alluringly to "snag" a man. We're supposed to wear low cut tops, tops that show our belly, shorts with a waistline below our hips, shorts so short they should be called denim underwear, we should wear dresses that show every curve, and if God gave us cleavage, why shouldn't we show it off? (Men really shouldn't view women as objects, and if you walk around flaunting your goods all the time a-your husband will already know what you look like on your wedding night, and that's supposed to be a beautiful gift from a woman to her husband, and b-most guys will be mentally undressing you at every given opportunity, instead of seeing you for the wonderful woman you are) This is confusing for the men too, because we are giving them conflicting signals. We're dressing in a manner that suggests we want them to buy us a drink before they bed us for a one night stand, then we're getting angry with them for viewing us as sexual objects. (Sorry, but if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck. . .it's probably a duck.)
As a young woman, I understand the difficulty in dressing modestly. The shorts, skirts, and dresses are getting shorter, the tops are being cropped more and more, and the neck line is getting lower and lower. Shirts and dresses are no longer made to be loose fitting, but instead cling to every inch of skin and leave very very VERY little to the imagination. But, rest assured, there ARE options. I've always been an advocate of dressing modestly (despite the difficulty in finding modest clothing), and today, after reading a blog post about women and men and mating and dating http://truelovedates.com/to-all-the-single-ladies-the-mating-game/ that was only intensified. In case you don't feel like reading the blog post, she basically states that she was watching a television show about some tropical birds, and while the narrator talked about their mating ritual, he mentioned the modesty of the female and the pickiness of the female in choosing her mate. Ladies, we don't have to settle. No, the perfect man does not exist, but there is a man out there that is perfect for you. Also, we don't need to flaunt ourselves in front of men, just be yourself, the beautiful wonderful you that God created in His image, and the right guy will find himself falling for you, and you for him.
So please, don't settle for less that what God has for you. Wait for the right man. Believe me, I know that waiting can be hard (I've been waiting a LONG time), but I'm trusting that God will provide a man who is ready and willing to commit to me and my mood swings, and ugly morning hair, and the fact that I talk to dogs, and bake when I'm stressed or angry, and all of my weird quirks and unique features. And I will be ready and willing to commit to him and all of his quirks. That will be a very happy day.
Til Next Time,

CrazyGirl♥

CrazyGirl♥ observes Opportunity

It's summer. If that doesn't excite you, I don't know what will. I may be a lover of the rain, but summer brings rest, relaxation, and tan lines. Okay. . . so maybe summer isn't as ideal as we pictured it as kids, but it's nice to not have homework to worry about for a couple months. Summer is an opportunity; we have some free time on our hands (or at least I do) considering that once we're clocked off at work, we're finished for the day, it's not like the classroom where we finish class and BOOM we're free! NOT. We finish class and we have piles of homework to do, not to mention that test we have to study for, and oh no! you almost forgot that it's your friend's twentieth I mean. . . twenty-first birthday and you promised them you'd go to dinner and that means you have to get all dressed up and that actually takes effort. So, without all of that, summer is an opportunity.
For me, it's an opportunity to save up some money and maybe do a little travelling. For others, like my wonderful older sister, it's an opportunity to start the rest of your life as a full-blown adult, college graduate, and proud renter of her very first apartment. Yet, for others, it's the opportunity to pursue something they never thought they'd do. Maybe some of you lucky ones are getting the opportunity for a summer romance, I know Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all blowing up with news of recent engagements and marriages, and new couples seem to be cropping up all over the place. Perhaps you're getting the opportunity to learn a new skill (*cough cough* I still need to learn the drums *cough cough*). Maybe you're spending time with old friends, just catching up and hearing all about their adventures. Whatever it is you're doing this summer, look for the opportunity.
Sometimes, it's easy to overlook opportunity, to excuse it. "Oh I don't need to do that. I need my beauty sleep." But, while you have the opportunity seriously think and pray about taking that opportunity. This may be your only chance. Sometimes that opportunity may require a leap of faith and some heavy trust in Christ, but believe me, anything chance worth taking should scare you just a little. The leap of faith is just part of the journey. Not to seem tacky or cliche, but it's like the song by Lee Ann Womack says, "When you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance." And, that's what I'm hoping for you this summer, when you get that opportunity to do something new, something a little scary; TAKE IT.
Til Next Time,

CrazyGirl♥