Breaking Stereotype
Dear Beloved,
Whose idea was it to put people in boxes? Like seriously, who assumed that it was a good idea to tell little girls that they couldn't be strong like dad. Or that to be 'beautiful' you have to look a certain way, but if you look that way, you can't possibly have a brain. Some of the strongest and smartest people I know are women. Now don't get it twisted men have stereotypes too. According to the world, men can't and aren't supposed to feel too deeply. Yet some of the most inspirational people in my life, are men who are not sociopaths and aren't afraid to feel.
Now, while those stereotypes are super relevant those are not the ones I'm zoning in on today. This one is more of an unspoken stereotype. Growing up in the church, I was constantly surrounded by all these grown-ups who were super inspirational and in-tune with God. I only ever saw adults at the altar, or tithing, or crying on their knees for Jesus. I was waiting for the day when I'd come of age, go through something terrible, and be rescued by God, all so I could worship like the adults at church. I came to the realization the other day that I need to stop waiting for my life to fall apart for me to get it together. Proverbs 27:1. Tomorrow is not promised. What happens if I keep pushing off diving into my relationship with God, and (God forbid) I don't make it past tomorrow. We all need to stop strolling through life as if tomorrow is guaranteed because it's not.
I'm not sure if you are comprehending what I'm trying to say, so let me break this down. You will die. Whether it's when you're 99 and on your death bed, or two days from now in a car accident. Your life here on earth will come to an end. Can you for sure 100% say that you're going to heaven? Have you lived your entire life keeping the 10 Commandants, praying without ceasing, reading your Bible every day, and never once slipping into temptation? Yea. I didn't think so. Lately, I have felt such a sense of urgency to stop pretending like this mediocre, lukewarm relationship with God is enough. It doesn't matter how old I am, I need God.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love kids. I volunteer with kids, I babysit, I'm even an occasional tutor. I generally love being around kids. They just have a way of seeing the good in the world because that's all that they have been exposed to. The worst pain a two-year-old should feel is a scraped knee. The thing I love most about kids is how much they teach me. Even though I'm older, kids have still managed to teach me a lot. One of the most important lessons I have ever learned was taught to me by a child.
Once I was having a really bad day, and instead of going to God about it I just let it linger. I thought that it was the biggest deal and I let it take over my day. Following my daily routine, I went to go and say hi to some of the kids in the after school program at my mom's job. One of the girls I love had a really bad day too, she was crying all over the place. I had pulled her aside to talk to her and turns out she was upset because her older brother was being a jerk that morning. Mind you she's in first grade. Me being in the mood I was in, I told her that there were bigger problems out there and that everything would be okay. She looked at me and said, "not to me". So I'm already mad that this girl thinks that her problem was the worst thing ever, and she is crying about it and turning it into this big deal. Before I can get up and walk away, she grabs my hand, and says, "It may be tiny to you but it's not tiny to me. Hopefully, it will be tiny for me one day." I was at a complete loss for words and before I could react, she asked me. "Do you think that your problem is tiny to someone else? Will it be tiny you one day?" That's when it really hit me. How was I going to sit here and be mad at her and judge her when I was doing the same thing she was? I was mad at her for thinking that her problem was the worst thing out there, and she was crying and upset and blowing it out of proportion but, so was I.
It struck me then that every person's feelings are valid. Whether it be an old person, a child, an adult, whatever that person is going through is big to them. I once said that I was stressed out in front of a teacher and he told me that I didn't know what that meant. That's where the stereotype lies. We are told all too often that what we feel isn't real, or that just because I’m not going through a whole lot my problem is debunked. It may not be what an adult has to go through but I was still stressed about everything that was on my plate. That little girl hadn't gone through very much but she was still upset about what she had experienced.
I feel like when you turn it around, it's the same way with God. I viewed God as this prize that I would reach once I had gone through a certain amount of things. As a direct result of that, I put Him on the back burner far too many times. I hesitated to get too deep with Him when that’s not the case. God wants a relationship with everybody. He died for everybody. I may not have gone through all that the adults in the church have gone through but my relationship with God is just as valuable. God may not have pulled me off the street or saved me from my death bed, but I can have a bond with God that is just as strong and unique. God calls all of us and he wants to have that deep connection with all of us. It’s up to us to decide that we want the same.
“For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.”
