blogging during naptime

Isabela is napping, and I hope I have enough time to write a blog. Because, I have SO much to say.

I don’t have the time to sit and write as much as I would like to. This month, I have said some goodbye’s to being on the internet as much and to watching tv as much. Why? Because those types of entertainment drain creativity and in my opinion, make you numb to the world.

I’m not saying its bad to do those things. I am just a person who needs to creatively express myself all the time. And when my mind is consumed with mindless entertainment, I continue to internalize all my feelings….and then BOOM….I explode, or melt down, or go on a flood of emotions and let it go to whatever unfortunate soul is next to me.

Its during those times that I realize that I need the quiet. The stillness. The peace that comes from hearing absolutely nothing at all. I crave that and NEED that, so that I can write, journal, blog, and recharge myself.

Oh, I have missed blogging so. SO much has happened. I have so many blogs written in my head.

So, I turned 30! and I made some promises to myself. Silly little things. Like, vowing to learn how to wear make-up. And, in Portland, my sister and I made an appointment at Nordstrom’s Mac counter. IT was amazing, FUN, and guess what? Make-up is fun! When I wear it, I feel motivated, energized, and of course , pretty!
Once, I used to think that people who always wore makeup were a little insecure. OK – I mean people that wear makeup to bed…yes, those do exist! However, make-up brings out your best features, and quality makeup like Mac is definitely worth the money.

Second silly thing: Wear make-up everyday. I guess I vowed to do that, because now that I’m 30, I seriously a grown-up and I can’t even pretend to be a teenager anymore….especially with a husband and a kid on my hip. I’ve done quite good, believe it or not! Stacy Fogarty, you would be so proud! I have learned that loose powder and lip gloss are my bff’s on a busy day. And, I like to feel put together, even if it is a big fat lie!

Third silly thing: I will tweeze my eyebrows everyday! haha. Please, you don’t understand the maintenance my horrible thick eyebrows (unibrow) need! AHHH! SO, i used to always wax my brows. But, I do not trust anyone in Iowa to do so. Sorry…no one but other Asian’s get my eyebrows, and I say this bc my eyebrow hairs grow downwards. They are hard to shape because of that. And I just haven’t found anyone I deem worthy to wax me. haha.
So, what was happening is that I would forget to tweeze for about a week or so, then I would look in the mirror and be so embarrassed at my horrible eyebrows! Then, it would take forever to tweeze….
SO, I have done great at this as well. And, you’ll never catch me in a quandary again! ha!

So, those are some of my silly vows. I might blog more on that later…who really knows!

As I get older, I really get more ‘political.’ Its hard not to, with a child and all. Its not that I didn’t care about it before. Its just that I felt so ignorant about everything and chose to keep my mouth shut. I’m still ignorant about a lot of politics. I don’t have an affiliation with either party, because I’m so stuck in the middle on a few issues. But, let me just just blog a little about something that has been on my heart.

The mosque. In NYC. The one thats been on the news. President Obama has been under fire for upholding the Constitution. And many people are saying that a mosque is just plain offensive in that area.

I fail to see why. The terrorists were “muslim.” But Islam is far from the extreme version that these crazy terrorists believe in. I really do know. One of my bff’s is muslim. I am her daughter’s god mother. I know her heart, and I know a little about Islam, thanks to her.

You cannot judge any religion by the actions of religious fanatics. Or you shouldn’t. There are so many “Christians” that are so fanatic, so extreme. To be offended by the muslim faith, in my opinion, is ignorant and prejudiced.

And seriously? I have seen some facebook postings by “conservatives.’ They are the ones who only post stuff about politics and how much they dislike our President. Its annoying. Enough to make me delete them, for sure. These conservatives are also ones that think all Christians should be Republican. To be politically racist like that, or to think that politics and Christianity or any religion go hand in hand is absurd and makes no sense at all. Jesus wasn’t political at all. If he was around today, he’d be a hippy that went around loving on everyone…and he wouldn’t want anything to do with politics at all.

Honestly, I am sad that this offends people. Because there are so many bigger issues at hand. Locally, nationally and internationally.

A mosque? Your offended, you say?

What about the fact that:

millions of people are dying , all across the world, from lack of medical care.
Millions of babies, children and families have NO access to clean water!
Families are selling their children to survive.
Babies are being born, just to be sold into the sex trade.
Children are being sold into sexual slavery.
Children are being sold into slavery to produce clothing, carpets, chocolate, diamonds…..
Women and children are sold like cattle in open markets. Forced to stand naked and sold to the highest bidder.
Men are coerced and tricked into labor bondage/slavery.
Babies are being abused, abandoned and NOT Loved right now.
A child somewhere, has no mother, or no father. They may be in a foster home. Or they may be overseas, living in an orphanage.
Somewhere, babies are dying, because Formula companies unmercifully market formula in impoverished countries where families do not have access to clean water. They give them just enough formula to make their milk dry up. And while these greedy companies make money, infant mortality climbs.
The Congo. Rape is a war tactic, used against women and children. Children are recruited as soldiers….
In some parts of the world, people are put in jail or even murdered – simply for their sexual
orientation.
The drug/firearm trade is the biggest money making business in the world. Second is sex-trafficking.

I could go on and on.

THIS is what offends me. I’m offended that people choose NOT to care about this. I’m offended that all the above is so out of control and HUGE,- so HUGE, that I am totally helpless to make a tiny dent in it.

THis should offend us all, but even more so, THIS SHOULD BREAK OUR HEARTS.

This is what should concern us Americans. Us Christians. Every human being that exists. A mosque?

Please! I have bigger worries, bigger concerns. Like how I can financially help families to have access to clean water. (charitywater.org)

Or do something to unmask the realities of sexual slavery:http://www.ijm.org/

Or saving up money so that I can adopt a parent-less child one day.

Or choosing not to buy Nestle products because of the role they play in increasing infant mortality. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNYDPKQOVUE

I could keep going….should I?

My point is this. Why get your panties in a bunch over something so ignorant and in the big picture, UNIMPORTANT?

Don’t. Spend your energy on educating yourself about these issues. Spend it on giving to something bigger than yourself.

Don’t stay in your bubble, where its comfy because you don’t allow yourself to know about all the heartbreaking and disturbing atrocities that are happening.

Let yourself be uncomfortable and let that uncomfortable-ness help you to grow.

Genuinely care. Genuinely love.

Scripture says this about love ( 1 Cor 13):

1If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^a but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.

and then it defines love even more ( love is patient, love is kind….read the whole chapter here.)

and lastly says this:
3Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

And scripture also says:
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Go to church on sundays and your small groups during the week. Stay in your bubble if you choose. But GOD has something much bigger that he wants us to do. He wants us to LOVE and live in peace with one another. He wants us to act in love. To not be corrupted by the world, but to go out into the world and SHOW our LOVE by ACTING out our love to others. He wants us to have relationships, to raise our children, and to love our partners.

Yep. that is the TRUTH. Thats what the gospel is really about.

Living a life of service. Adopting. Caring. Letting the pain and injustice in the world break your hearts.

AND also…doing something about it. Jesus wasn’t lazy. He went everywhere, getting to know people and creating relationships. He had so much love in His heart. And man…if only I could have a heart like HIS.

This Sunday, I’m singing a song called Hosanna. The bridge of the song is the most powerful part.

it says:
Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause

As I go from nothing to
Eternity.

Every word in that bridge brings me to my knees. “Open up my eyes…Break my heart for what breaks yours.”

You know what? God’s heart isn’t breaking over the mosque situation. Its breaking over a new born baby that is being abused. Its breaking over children that are sold into sexual slavery. Its breaking over the millions of children and families that don’t have clean water to drink. Its breaking over TRUE injustice. And, so should ours.

Does this put life in a different perspective for you? I hope so. Take the religion out of it…because honestly….religion doesn’t matter.

Its common sense, straight from the heart. Why get so offended about nonsensical things, when there is so much real injustice in the world?

-don’t even waste your energy.