Let’s be serious here. An honest Christian is not comfortable talking about sex. Embarrassment is the common reaction to even the mention of the word. There are, of course, plenty of subjects that are uncomfortable subjects, but this one is a doozy.
Read MoreThere are so many methods that we use to communicate. Did you know that only 7% of human conversation uses words? 37% is in our tone of voice, but 55% of our communication is in our body language. That’s more than half ! How we sit or stand, how we use our hands or the expressions upon our faces - these all communicate to others, right down to even the clothes we wear. What many do not know is that there are outward behaviors that indicate inward ideals - and they show, whether we want them to or not.
Read MoreAs I write this, I am thinking how unqualified I am to be discussing something I struggle with myself. Don’t get me wrong, the desire to pray is not the trouble. God’s command to pray is for our benefit, not His, Phil. 4:6-7. The struggle is remembering to talk to God without making it nothing but a check in a box. Communication - real, deep communication - is one of my shortcomings. There is only so much of myself that I let be seen. I have my reasons, but I tend to be reserved in any relationship. Rare is the person that can get me to feel comfortable enough to fully open up. I’ve built that habit in my communication with God as well. When I remember (but not as frequently as I should) that my shortcomings shouldn’t keep me from talking to God, I pray. He knows me better than anybody already. There is nothing that is hidden from Him - not even our insecurities - and He still loves us all. That knowledge makes me speak from my heart to the only One that can see the picture in my head before I utter a single word.
Read MoreIn psychology, it is known as the Chameleon Effect; the human tendency to mimic those around us spontaneously. I wanted to be part of the group, the “cool” kids’ circle. To be regarded as worth knowing like they were was, to me, worth sacrificing the pieces of myself that were keeping me out of that social circle. Margaret Mitchell once wrote, “It’s hard to salvage jettisoned cargo and, if it is retrieved, it’s usually irreparably damaged. And I fear that when you can afford to fish up the honor and virtue and kindness you’ve thrown overboard, you’ll find they have suffered a sea change and not, I fear, into something rich and strange. ” There are some pieces of ourselves that should be discarded, but I have found that when trying to fit in, I am usually discarding the pieces I need to hang on to in order to be successfully good in the future and hanging on to the pieces that keep me from that future. I turned into this person that fits in, but at what price?
Read MoreAs a teenager, I was pressured severely concerning the senior Prom. I had friends, peers, and a boyfriend who was going. My friends assumed my decision to not go was based on domineering parents who disallowed it. They offered to help me sneak out of the house and get me ready at a friend’s house. My peers assumed I just couldn’t dance. My boyfriend continually reminded me that he would be the only guy there that didn’t bring his girlfriend. How would that look? My parents were in part responsible for my decision, but not because they were cruel and demanded that I commit social suicide. Their part resided solely on the Christian education they had given me up to that point. That begs the question: how would a Christian education affect my decision concerning the Prom?
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