Kindness is a gift I will never take for granted. It’s been a wonderful weekend of celebration! When your birthday falls on a Friday, it’s almost like a mandate to spend three days celebrating the joy of just being here. I am so grateful for friends, family and random strangers who added to the happiness.
Birthdays are also a point where I spend time in self-reflection. Am I where I should be? Have I accomplished what I said I would? What’s in store for my future? I don’t know about you, but I always find this line of thinking mostly helpful and just a little irritating.
There’s no doubt that taking a pause to think about where we’re headed is a good thing. Sometimes we find ourselves in seasons where we’re just aimlessly going through the motions with no real thought to where we’re trying to go. Other times we find that where we’re headed is not where we want to end up. The great news is that life offers us countless opportunities to change our course.
That’s the positive of reflection. What irritates me is when I start wondering what I should have accomplished by now. You know those lists that tell you everything you should have and have done by the time you’re a certain age? Well, I’m thinking we should all burn them.
What’s finally become clear to me is that we’re all on our own path. While many things in life can be achieved by a certain age, we may not be ready for them. And for many other things, we may be ready long before others think it’s time. That’s why now I’m spending less time searching for external validation, and more time on internal authentication. I am absolutely and completely committed to being the one true me.
It’s such a hard thing to grasp that we are uniquely designed, to accept that our paths are tailor-made. It’s natural to judge us against the achievements of others. Yet being ourselves, embracing ourselves as we really are, is the only way to experience true contentment. And once we offer that to ourselves, we freely give that same freedom to others.
Perhaps that is why I was so taken aback last week when one of my Facebook “friends” commented on one of my posts with “tone down the god thing”. I probably shouldn’t have been, but I was really surprised. I responded with a friendly “No can do. God has been too good to me to deny Him.”
From there it just got bizarre. In the span of 5 minutes the person added four additional comments – two of which I didn’t understand – and finally a post on their timeline which said “Katrina.SMD.” It took me half the night before I realized “SMD” meant suck my d*ck. Sanity must have returned sometime during the evening because that post was deleted and replaced with “Don’t push your religion on me.”
I’ve been thinking about it off and on all weekend. Not because it hurt my feelings – which by the way, it did – but because there was such hostility behind it. I mean why take the time to even comment? If my words offended you so, why not just de-friend me? Would that not be easier than trying to humiliate me, and in turn making a fool of you? I really just don’t understand, and probably never will.
But where I finally netted out is that I’m grateful for the experience. If you notice that I have a “God-thing” then I’m doing something right. That means my life is reflecting my beliefs. I could not be more thrilled that the love God is pouring into me is spilling out into the lives of others. I have no doubt that this is the purpose for which I was created, and I am so grateful to be used in such a fashion.
I am also thankful to know whom I’m dealing with. Maya Angelou said, “When people show you who they really are, believe them.” There is such wisdom in those few words. Had I learned that earlier in life, I could have saved myself a lot of heartache and wasted energy trying to change people.
Mostly, I’m grateful that I have the courage to keep being me. I have never been criticized for my faith before. It’s an odd experience – especially when I have friends that are Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Non-Denominational. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. The truth is I haven’t always lived my life in a way that clearly shouted I am a Christian. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have no room to be judgmental of any one else. Like the rest of you, I am saved by grace and working on the rest.
But if I have to be criticized for anything, I am proud that it is for standing firm on my faith. God is so I am. He is my everything, and I dearly love Him. Without Him, this walk of faith would be a foolish fantasy. With God, it is an exciting adventure into the unknown but divinely ordered.
I pray that as we all advance in age that we continue to grow in grace. I pray that we have the courage to be our whole and complete selves, and that we have the tolerance and good sense to allow others to do the same. I pray that we all grow in our relationship with our Creator and that He blesses us with the kind of love that radiates from the very core of our being.
You are God’s amazing creation. He loves you. Now it’s your turn to love you. Stand firm in your faith.
Loving on Me as I Love You! ❤
Nikia Hammonds-Blakely says
I’m sure the hostility in his tone had to catch you by surprise, as it does us. But as we enter this new week (Passion Week), I realized that the pain, rejections, abandonment & abuse we experience in life typically takes us ALL by surprise! We don’t anticipate it. It’s something we don’t see coming, and it shocks us to our very core when it happens. Not only do we resent the pain, but often times we feel like we would do anything to undo it or to just “let this cup pass from me”. Yet, this week we observe, as a Christian Community, the reality that Jesus knew AHEAD OF TIME the hostility, hatred, rejection, embarrassment and abuse He would suffer (PUBLICLY)… but He CHOSE to do it ANYWAY! And He did it JUST FOR US! Isn’t that AMAZING?!?! This week, if no other, let’s corporately wear the reality of the world’s rejection of Christ’s love for us & in us as a badge of HONOR! I join you in PROUDLY standing firm on my faith today. An awesome price was paid for us and we have to live by example and love those who hate us and bless those who curse us. Thank you Katrina for never dimming your light! Let it SHINE in these dark times. The world needs the light and energy of our LOVE.
Carlie Carpio says
I read this the other day, but this thought really just hit me. If there is anything that I would like to be known for- it’s my faith. Please keep shining bright and inspiring and encouraging others to do the same. Loving on you and loving on me.
Tanya says
I have enjoyed reading “Proud to Stand Firm on My Faith,” it has blessed my soul. May God continue to use you as his vessel to help others feel free to say it loud, “I am a Christian, and Godly proud to be one.”
Karla says
I have enjoyed reading your inspirational messages. Ditto, I will say it loud and proud, I am a Christian and Proud to be One! GOD has been too good to me for me not to acknowledge him. Just for allowing me to see a new day, I am Thankful! Thank you for the giving us the GOD thing cause I’m loving it.