One nation, under God 💕

I miss the days where politics rarely crossed my mind. I kept my views to myself (what little views I had) and no one was hurt.

Since those days I've educated myself more, I care about what’s going on in the world more and I can hold a conversation about these matters.  Knowing too much though raises my blood pressure sometimes and I would rather not know as much as I do to be honest. I've lost some people in my life that I care about who I built nearly two decades of friendships with. I was seen in a certain way that they liked, (of which I still am and will get into in a minute) but they also assumed my political views matched theirs. When they discovered they didn’t, they changed the way they viewed  me. 

Some left winged friends flew away after reading some of my social media shares over the last few years.  “How can you like Trump? He’s an arrogant idiot! Not sure if we can be friends anymore sorry we are too different.”  Ok but even though I lean right and agree with ‘an arrogant idiot’ on world issues, I’m to a degree still (in the sense of lifestyle and interests) the same person you built a friendship with for almost 20 years. 

If we think about some of the things that are labeled 'liberal' all over them then I’m one for sure. When I first discovered Seattle at a young age while growing up in WA I was in love with it so much I’d beg my mom to take me to touristy Pikes Place almost every weekend. I’d drive there during my high school/community college years so I could buy incense, hemp supplies, organic teas and submerge myself in a diverse environment. I liked how the city bustled with creativity. The historical architecture, quirky personalities, fashion and different cultures inspired me. I'm all about the hippie vibes! Then I moved to LA, one of the bluest cities ever to go to fashion school and stayed there for 18 years. 

My closest friends were gay. I went vegan for a bit and hung at ‘liberal’ spots- Hollywood venues, yoga studios, artsy coffee shops and gatherings surrounded by queens. I miss Marys. One of the drags there is so sweet. We had some meaningful conversations with each other about life. We were so different but connected on many levels.  I was the minority at a few companies I worked for of which were my favorite places to be at looking back compared to others. I was once asked the question, “What's your favorite race? Black, white, yellow?”  I replied, "Black."  They don’t take life so seriously (in a good way), they make me laugh, they know how to dance (I love hip hop) and they are soulful beings.” I remember the first time I stepped into a gospel church. Those guys know what it means to worship! I've always had a heart for nature (especially the ocean) and homeless shelters. I volunteered at Union Rescue on skid row for quite some time. I worked at an aquarium and a shark research foundation for even more time in which most everyone there leaned left. Not sure why environmentalists or the other things I shared tend to have this ‘liberal label’ stamped on them. It didn’t matter to me though and it still doesn’t matter.

I’m finally getting to my point of why I felt compelled to talk about all this! 

A few years back a friend and I met up with a fellow FIDM alumni at our church in Belair one Sunday. We all struck up a great conversation after service and talked about getting together for a girls coffee later that week. As we made our way to the parking lot, (let’s call her Bella) Bella was beside herself when she looked at the back of my other friend's car (let’s call her Brandi) who I drove with and saw her window sticker that said “Obama 08.” Bella said, “Look at what’s on Brandi’s car. Oh no an Obama lover!” 

So here's the thing. Jesus isn't running for president. Instead, we have two flawed men running for president and each one has certain strengths and certain weaknesses. If Jesus was a registered voter today I’m convinced that he wouldn’t be a registered Republican nor a registered Democrat. Jesus was never one to join political parties. He represents only one governing body -the kingdom of heaven.

Since Jesus isn’t running for office, we who call ourselves Christian’s have to do the next best thing: Determine the heart of Christ on the issues (because Jesus does care about many issues that our government leaders deal with on a daily basis) and prayerfully determine which political candidate, party and propositions are most in sync with the heart of Christ. 

Psalm 89:14a, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.” When God rules, he always does what is right. And he always does what is just. So, any leader who is going to please the heart of God must also do what is right and just. 

When I choose what I follow politically, I ask: “Will this candidate do what is right and just in God’s eyes?” Since keeping this more in mind, it's helped me better understand my Christian brothers and sisters on the other side of the aisle instead of judging them.

I had shared on an IG story how there are two policy positions in the Republican party that are biblically right. The sanctity of human life and marriage and family. I also shared how there are two positions in the Democratic party that are biblically just: Ending poverty and achieving racial justice and equity. Both parties have good and biblical things that I support. 

We are all human, we all have opinions and we are all sinners who are a work in progress, but as a Christian, we are called to lead people to Christ, not to an elephant or a donkey.

To those who have different political views than me but we've stayed friends for a long time (long before discovering differences in our views/beliefs)- our friendship is a gift. It's nice when we are understanding of one another. It's also nice how we know when to stop talking about our views and go back to talking about our future dinner date at that cool new spot covered in graffiti, art festival, or vintage shopping plans. We all aren't going to agree on everything with each other, but we can embrace the parts in each of us that each bring out the beauty in each relationship. 

Each of us live through different experiences throughout life and these experiences impact how we think now. Our scars have a way of showing up in certain ways later that won’t always be understood by others but we can’t allow our/their pain or politics to sabotage our relationships or sabotage us being a witness to unbelievers or to our fellowship with believers. 

If our loyalty is with Christ, then our hearts and minds must stay in line with his. 💞

Covid Afterthoughts

Happy Tuesday! I'm thankfully getting closer to feeling my normal self again. Other than losing my senses, (hoping those come back soon- I miss waking up to the taste of my vanilla mint toothpaste and the smell of cinnamon coffee in the mornings!) Covid came and went. It was basically a mild flu. I know everyone responds to this thing differently. For some it may become dangerous but for others it's a cold with a fancy name and a PR firm. My experience might not be the same as another person's experience you know of or even your own, but I like to share things that are positive and good. Theres a lot of fear out there related to this sickness so I just wanted to say that if you haven't had it yet or you are just getting it as you are reading this, it might not be as bad as you think. 

 

Mine started and ended the same way all my colds/ flus have started and ended growing up. I felt tired at the beginning of the week, my head hurt, my body ached, and I got a fever.  Once that passed after the first two days, I got a sore throat which then led to a cold by the end of the week. I didn't spend all my money on supplements and meds once I found out I had it. Or worry myself sicker by reading up on google how I might be doomed. I treated this as I treated any other sickness I've had to deal with. With rest, fluids, healthy foods, and my usual vitamins. And Nyquil. Thank goodness for Nyquil! As for the loss of taste and smell part - remember when we were kids and we couldn't taste the macaroni and cheese mom made us for dinner and we couldn't smell the grape scratch and sniff stickers at school?  This sensation I'm having now at first wasn't any different but I learned that with Covid it can linger and be potentially more serious than that. I'm hoping for this part to pass soon. I have faith it will! Nothing sucks more than being hungry, opening the fridge but then closing it because nothing sounds good! I'm normally an 'adder.' I'll add cheese, avocado, salsa, and other goodies to the top of my Annie’s burritos. Now it’s like why bother. I've been loading up instead on boring veggies, green tea and healthy spices that I don’t like the taste of since I know it's all good for me, so at least that's a positive too with losing my taste and smell. No need for pizza, cake or burritos with all those extra calorie trimmings!

I'm grateful for a mild case. I hope you never get it but if you do I hope it's mild too.

 

I've been asked if I'm going to go get vaccinated. I don’t know. A friend of mine has Covid in the Midwest right now too. She was vaccinated, I wasn't. I have some other health issues, she doesn't.  Her case isn't as mild as mine.  She should be the one with the easier case, not me. She also lost her taste and smell like me, so I guess getting vaccinated has nothing to do with preventing that. I know two young people who were taken from this awful virus. Both were vaccinated and boosted. A friend of mine here in LV bled for 3 straight months after her vaccination. Some friends I know in LA from my church weren't vaccinated, had the sniffles for a day then were better.  My acupuncturist had some serious complications with her hormones and estrogen levels after getting vaccinated. So, what's my hang up with still not wanting to get vaccinated? I can't give you a solid answer other than it just doesn't seem to be doing what it's being marketed to do. It also seems to be causing more havoc then help. I hear it helps all over the news. People I know who work in the medical field say it helps their patients. But with my own personal relationships and what’s happened with them, it doesn’t make sense. And when things don’t make sense to me I'm not one quick to follow a crowd even if everyone else is doing it. 

 

I think we should wear seatbelts.  You may not need it but it’s better to wear it than not wear it. It could prevent you from death and it also doesn’t potentially cause any harm by wearing it other than a possible seatbelt bruise. It’s a win win.  Sometimes I hear that it’s better to get vaxxed than not be. But are the vaxxes causing more harm than good though? Are all the hand sanitizers and masks preventing us from being able to handle any germ that comes our way and in actuality it’s making it harder for our bodies to fight through any illness, and is all this isolation causing loneliness, distraction and addiction to not being able to unplug? 

 

"Covid is not your enemy, fear is.  You will not die one day sooner or one day later than God has planned for you. But he did not create you to live in fear. The bible says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound of mind."  

2 Timothy 1:7