Breathe Again

It's hard to breathe when you refuse air.

And it's hard to breathe when you witness someone refusing to inhale.

Especially someone so very close to you. Someone who breathed their first breath in your presence.
Once you become a mother, your breath nearly always seems to depend on that of your child. If they aren't breathing--living to the full--then you are struggling for air.

These past weeks have taken my breath away. Not in a romantic, dreamy way. But in a crippling way as I see my children struggle to breathe in the only hope I find to be true. It has a lot to do with why I chose my word for the year, Redeem.
We need it around here.

So. Yesterday at church, the pastor preached on the new sermon series to kick off the new year. And it's centered on Acts 3:19:

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..."

In the Greek, the word, "refreshing" actually means "to breathe again". I love that. It's shown me something redemptive, and as I said, my word this year is REDEEM.

Living with an atheist has had me shirk away from the idea of sin. Sin is a big BAD no-no in a
Godless view. We're all good, humanity is good (after all, we are here by such an amazingly small chance), sin is ridiculous and the idea of it is detrimental to the future of humanity. If there was such thing as sin, then you are against humanity, against nature, against your very being.

But.

There may be something unknown in that word--by those so opposed to it. And it's the very essence of our relationship with our Creator. It's the very essence of our need for redemption. It's the fact that we, in all our humanness, breathed...in all our free will, were given breath...and WE have missed the mark in our effort to breathe apart from the Maker.

It's no wonder sin is powerful, because it stops our breathing in, and then we struggle for air in the darkness.

Sorry for the sermon, but I am really processing this for myself. Because, in order to have any air around here, I think I have tried to compromise with truth for the sake of my marriage. And I've allowed lies to warp my heart.

Not that my husband has any say in this, but, because I am a peace maker by default, I try to find the middle ground...and I went a little past the middle.

The fact that sin is part of us, is actually a reason to rejoice in living...again. To remember that there is a second chance out there, and that we've been given it regardless of which sin, and because we have sinned. Sin has given us a journey to understand our significance through the eyes of a Savior. Not that I love sin for that, but I love the plan that God can use ANYTHING to show us HIS EVERYTHING. Nothing is wasted. Not even our brokenness.

It starts with me. I can only change myself, or at least, it's up to me to surrender to Christ and refresh in His presence. I can't push my children, or my husband to "repent"...to "believe"...to "breathe again". That's God's job. I can only blot out my own transgressions and breathe again, welcoming the presence of the Lord...

And hopefully that presence will grow strong in my house, and there will be a gasping for air again.

Raising Skeptics Without Forfeiting Faith

**With the election year gearing up...can I hear and UGH!?....I needed this reminder, so I am posting it again! Have a great Wednesday!**

Lately I have noticed a trend across social media, political media, and whatever media: The audience's lack of skepticism. 
It seems human opinion is becoming GOD to the public. And I kinda understand. Because I know how it feels to have my pre-conceived ideas justified in print. In the past, I often cast off skepticism for an idea that aligned with my worldview. I would refuse to listen to the opposition with ears unplugged. I refused to let myself see the matter from a different view point. Sometimes, even now, I'll see something cross my newsfeed that appalls me, and I choose to believe it (and re-post, ack!) instead of seeking the truth of the matter.

More often than not, no matter the source, there is a truth being half-told, or covered up altogether.

One of my biggest fears used to be changing my worldview. I was told that there was only one way to look at things--"God's" way or the highway. I had been trapped into thinking that being loyal to God meant including myself under certain labels, certain opinions, certain trends. But all of those labels, opinions, trends...(ahem, political parties for example)...are man-made. Media is man-run. And lately, it all stinks of flesh to me. Many times, I find truth being covered up by even Christian sources. Sad but true.

As a parent trying to shape my kids' worldview, my fear swells at the responsibility.

Am I leading my kids down a path that is riddled with lies and cover-ups all in the name of God ('s people's opinions)? 

I have seen where this type of misinformed path might lead. My husband swore off religion altogether and identifies as an Atheist. You think I am being dramatic? I have fought that fight these past two years, and MUCH OF IT is because of the ugly actions and attitudes of Christ's church finally bringing my husband to a breaking point. I don't want that end for my children.

If we allow ourselves to align with certain truth-cover-uppers...or slanderers...our children will one day have minds of their own and realize the lies. If those lies taint Christian voices, then healthy skepticism for the world transfers to skepticism for the Church itself.

Once you become skeptical toward's Christ's church, more than just your political affiliations crumble...but your faith in Christ dies as well.

I want to instill faith in my kids, but teach them that God's truth and a keen sense of skepticism are all they can count on.

Regardless of who preaches, teaches, reports, or writes an article, I want my children to seek the truth of the matter with the truth of the SPIRIT guiding them.

I don't want them to view opinions equal to God's opinion. Every thing needs to be mulled over these days and affiliation with a media-driven idea needs to be held at arms length.

 My pastor often says that Christ's economy is upside down from the world's. And I am seeing that applied to all sides of all issues. Nothing is black and white. There is so much grey because We, The People muddy it. I am teaching my children to take EVERYTHING they hear with a skeptical, Christ-grounded look. If they need to turn it upside down to find truth, then skepticism will serve them well for a point of view with the whole truth, without the expense of their faith.