For the longest time I've been trying to figure out why Christians are so against body piercings. Many have expressed disapproval of my nose ring, but when I tell them to give me scripture to show me what God has to say about it, they either never do, or they conveniently "forget." While other times, people give verses that really have nothing to do with a nose ring. And for that matter, if piercing is wrong, then why don't you take your earrings out as you condemn me for my piercing?
Some of the verses that I've been given that supposedly show God's resentment for piercings are:
Leviticus 19:28 - "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any markings upon you: I am the Lord."
ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Do you legitimately think that is God saying not to pierce your body? Read it! "You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh FOR THE DEAD." - I'm sorry, this nose ring is not for the dead. I got the nose ring because I thought it was neat looking. Don't you dye your hair because you think a different color is nice looking? Don't you buy specific clothes because you think they are pretty? Seriously. Stop giving people your own opinion and tagging God on the end of it.
1 Kings 18:28 - "And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, til the blood gushed out upon them."
Now, maybe I'm taking this too literal, but there is no blood gushing from my nose. It is obvious this verse is talking about people who cut themselves to ease their pain. That would be wrong because God is the only One who can heal our hearts or give us peace. No type of harm done to the body can do that.
More scripture would be: Genesis 35:2-4, Exodus 32:2-3, Isaiah 3:18-23
These verses do actually talk about piercings such as earrings and "nose jewels." HOWEVER, do you not also see that it says those things were worn to worship other Gods or to show signs of witchcraft? If you know me, you know I love God. The end. I fall like every other Christian, but I worship God alone at the end of each and every day. Yes, earrings used to show that a person had a false idol. So what? Somewhere over in the Middle East people might think that wearing a wedding band is a sign of idolizing your husband or wife. It is so frustrating to me that people bend and manipulate what the Word says.
Also, if you hadn't noticed, those verses also discuss wearing necklaces and bracelets. Not just earrings. And definitely not just nose rings. So when you believe you're rightfully judging another Christian because of what you THINK the Bible says, make sure you actually say what God intended.
If anyone has more verses for me that may show God's disapproval of any body piercings PLEASE show me. I am not out to show that people are wrong when they bring verses, but I'm not going to manipulate what God said. And if you do have a verse for me, make sure you read it and examine yourself before you bring it to me. But I want nothing more than to please God, therefore if there is a serious reason why I should not pierce my body, I will remove the piercings and repent whole-heartedly.
PSBTW: Don't use the "your body is a temple" verse because you probably ate greasy bacon and eggs this morning. If that's so, you're turning God's temple into a lard factory... I'm just decorating mine and God hasn't told me to do any differently. :]
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
If Hell didn't exist...
So yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine about the Christian life and how lukewarm a lot of people are these days. He made the statement: I wonder if the people would be acting the same as they are if Hell didn't exist.
That got me thinking... would I act the same way if Hell didn't exist? Would I pray, sing praises to God, read scripture, show love to all around me, humble myself and serve others, or would I be of this world. Now, mind you, Heaven still exists at this point. Hell just doesn't. There is no eternal consequence for what we do in this life. And the answer I know many people would have if they answered that today, scares me.
I would like to think I would still want a relationship with God. I love Him so much and I love spending time with Him. All of His creations point us to a lifestyle of worshiping Him. But if there was no consequence, would I feel the same way? If everyone still went to Heaven no matter what, how many true Jesus-like Christians would there be in the world? Hah, slim to none, I would think.
So ask yourself the question. Would you still be the same person if there was not an eternal consequence? If your answer is no, then I'm going to be bold and say you are not a Christian. You do not have a true personal relationship with God. You look at Him as a scapegoat; as a way to get out of doing wrong things. You do not look at Him as the love of your life, your Savior, your all in all. Check yourself.
That got me thinking... would I act the same way if Hell didn't exist? Would I pray, sing praises to God, read scripture, show love to all around me, humble myself and serve others, or would I be of this world. Now, mind you, Heaven still exists at this point. Hell just doesn't. There is no eternal consequence for what we do in this life. And the answer I know many people would have if they answered that today, scares me.
I would like to think I would still want a relationship with God. I love Him so much and I love spending time with Him. All of His creations point us to a lifestyle of worshiping Him. But if there was no consequence, would I feel the same way? If everyone still went to Heaven no matter what, how many true Jesus-like Christians would there be in the world? Hah, slim to none, I would think.
So ask yourself the question. Would you still be the same person if there was not an eternal consequence? If your answer is no, then I'm going to be bold and say you are not a Christian. You do not have a true personal relationship with God. You look at Him as a scapegoat; as a way to get out of doing wrong things. You do not look at Him as the love of your life, your Savior, your all in all. Check yourself.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Love is here.
On the way home from Wal-Mart about an hour ago, I was thinking to myself, "You know, I'd like to write a blog. God, please give me something to write a blog about. Maybe I'll read some more of Crazy Love or something." Apparently, God had something more genuine in mind.
As I was going down Ousleydale, I saw a person on the side of the road try to flag me down. It was a woman around the age of 40. She was skinny and had on shorts and a shabby plaid button up shirt. Did I stop? Of course not! That's how you get hurt. That's how people get robbed. That's how people play it safe. Better yet, that's how this vessel of a body gets hurt, that's how people get things taken from them that aren't theirs to start with, and that's how people do not live as God would want them to live. I hit the breaks...
Me: Dare I go back? No.
God: Yes.
Me: She might shoot me.
God: Is Heaven that bad of an option?
Me: But I've never picked anyone up before.
God: Do it.
Me: Yes sir.
I turned around. As I passed her this time, she was more in the road than before. I rolled my window down examined the situation.
Me: Can I help you with something ma'am?
Her: Honey, can I get a ride somewhere?
Me: Sure. But I need to know where you're going, why you need to go there, and if you're going to hurt me.
Her: I need to go to a friends house out past Henricks. My husband and I just got in a fight and I need to know if I can stay with her for the night. And honey, I would never hurt you, promise.
Me: Mkay, get in.
Her: Lord bless you.
She introduced herself to me. Her name was Lisa. We talked for a while about what had happened with her husband, and why it was not normally a good idea to pick up strangers. She kept telling me how grateful she was for what I was doing. I just knew that it was something God would have done. I wanted Him to be glorified through it. She told me she would pawn me her watch for the gas I was using and I told her to think nothing of it. I wanted to do something for her. She also told me about her children and her first husband who had died from a drug overdose. We got to where she needed to be taken and she asked if I'd wait outside for her. I told her sure, and I asked if she needed me to take her back to her house. She said yes. So while she was inside, I prayed. I didn't know this woman, but God told me to pick her up. I had never picked up a stranger before because we're always told not to. I prayed for safety and I prayed that what I was doing was a good witness for the woman. I wanted her to see God, not me.
When she came back out, she looked a little upset. She wasn't able to stay with the friend, so she needed to go back to her house. She asked if I had any money and I told her no. I just had my card. Selfish. It would take five seconds to go to an ATM and get her some money out. I had just gotten paid today; it's not like I was scrounging for money. So I told her I would do that. She told me not to give her $20 because she didn't want to bum from me. I stressed to her that it was God telling me to help her, and I knew she genuinely needed it. I got her the money and she thanked me multiple times.
On the way back to her house we talked more about her husband, and myself. She told me about how she was so thankful that I had a giving heart. I reminded her of her husband that overdosed. She said he always had a giving heart. He would give someone anything the needed at any time. Once, he was even robbed because of being too generous. [I'm not saying any of this for my glory. I'm saying it for the glory of God, and I beg that you realize that.] She said that after her husband had died, the only thing that they were able to donate was his heart. She thought that was a sign from God since he had such a giving heart. That might have been the entire purpose of me picking her up. We all need giving hearts. Not only when we want to, not only when we feel like it, and not only when it's safe... but when we should give. And that is always. Her husband symbolically gave of his heart even after he died. Even though nothing else in his body was worth anything, his heart was. The beating force behind the life that God has given us. Literally and theoretically.
When we got to her house she hugged me and again thanked me for all I had done. She gave me her number so I could call her and have her clean out my car one time. I'll call her; but it'll be to check on her... not to ask anything of her. She said maybe one day she'll have enough money to take me to breakfast. Just talking about it makes me want to cry. I told her I would pray for her, and I meant it. She almost cried as she told me "It's nice of you to pick a complete stranger up. Not many people would do the same even for their close friends."
Love is here. Love is now. Love is pouring from His hands; from His brow. Love is near, it satisfies. Streams of mercy flowing from His side.
Be the love of Christ to someone.
As I was going down Ousleydale, I saw a person on the side of the road try to flag me down. It was a woman around the age of 40. She was skinny and had on shorts and a shabby plaid button up shirt. Did I stop? Of course not! That's how you get hurt. That's how people get robbed. That's how people play it safe. Better yet, that's how this vessel of a body gets hurt, that's how people get things taken from them that aren't theirs to start with, and that's how people do not live as God would want them to live. I hit the breaks...
Me: Dare I go back? No.
God: Yes.
Me: She might shoot me.
God: Is Heaven that bad of an option?
Me: But I've never picked anyone up before.
God: Do it.
Me: Yes sir.
I turned around. As I passed her this time, she was more in the road than before. I rolled my window down examined the situation.
Me: Can I help you with something ma'am?
Her: Honey, can I get a ride somewhere?
Me: Sure. But I need to know where you're going, why you need to go there, and if you're going to hurt me.
Her: I need to go to a friends house out past Henricks. My husband and I just got in a fight and I need to know if I can stay with her for the night. And honey, I would never hurt you, promise.
Me: Mkay, get in.
Her: Lord bless you.
She introduced herself to me. Her name was Lisa. We talked for a while about what had happened with her husband, and why it was not normally a good idea to pick up strangers. She kept telling me how grateful she was for what I was doing. I just knew that it was something God would have done. I wanted Him to be glorified through it. She told me she would pawn me her watch for the gas I was using and I told her to think nothing of it. I wanted to do something for her. She also told me about her children and her first husband who had died from a drug overdose. We got to where she needed to be taken and she asked if I'd wait outside for her. I told her sure, and I asked if she needed me to take her back to her house. She said yes. So while she was inside, I prayed. I didn't know this woman, but God told me to pick her up. I had never picked up a stranger before because we're always told not to. I prayed for safety and I prayed that what I was doing was a good witness for the woman. I wanted her to see God, not me.
When she came back out, she looked a little upset. She wasn't able to stay with the friend, so she needed to go back to her house. She asked if I had any money and I told her no. I just had my card. Selfish. It would take five seconds to go to an ATM and get her some money out. I had just gotten paid today; it's not like I was scrounging for money. So I told her I would do that. She told me not to give her $20 because she didn't want to bum from me. I stressed to her that it was God telling me to help her, and I knew she genuinely needed it. I got her the money and she thanked me multiple times.
On the way back to her house we talked more about her husband, and myself. She told me about how she was so thankful that I had a giving heart. I reminded her of her husband that overdosed. She said he always had a giving heart. He would give someone anything the needed at any time. Once, he was even robbed because of being too generous. [I'm not saying any of this for my glory. I'm saying it for the glory of God, and I beg that you realize that.] She said that after her husband had died, the only thing that they were able to donate was his heart. She thought that was a sign from God since he had such a giving heart. That might have been the entire purpose of me picking her up. We all need giving hearts. Not only when we want to, not only when we feel like it, and not only when it's safe... but when we should give. And that is always. Her husband symbolically gave of his heart even after he died. Even though nothing else in his body was worth anything, his heart was. The beating force behind the life that God has given us. Literally and theoretically.
When we got to her house she hugged me and again thanked me for all I had done. She gave me her number so I could call her and have her clean out my car one time. I'll call her; but it'll be to check on her... not to ask anything of her. She said maybe one day she'll have enough money to take me to breakfast. Just talking about it makes me want to cry. I told her I would pray for her, and I meant it. She almost cried as she told me "It's nice of you to pick a complete stranger up. Not many people would do the same even for their close friends."
Love is here. Love is now. Love is pouring from His hands; from His brow. Love is near, it satisfies. Streams of mercy flowing from His side.
Be the love of Christ to someone.
Monday, May 11, 2009
FYI
I haven't posted a blog in a while.
Just in case you haven't noticed.
Not because things haven't been happening, because they have.
I just don't know what to say, or where to start. :]
Just in case you haven't noticed.
Not because things haven't been happening, because they have.
I just don't know what to say, or where to start. :]
Monday, May 4, 2009
Window Shoppers
I've recently been thinking a lot about relationships. Not necessarily the ones I've been in, or the ones other people are in at the moment, but relationships in general. I've been particularly interested in the fantasy land people, like myself, live in. When we have a "crush" on someone, or when we're genuinely attracted to them, what sparks that? Well like I said... I've been thinking.
I am a believer in the fact that God has certain people for you in your life for different reasons. Be it a boyfriend for a bad relationship run, or a friend for a lifetime. Nevertheless, (great band btw) people are in our lives for a reason and for a season. Lately every time I talk to someone about someone they like though, everything seems mixed up. They talk about how skinny the person is, how tall they are, how white their teeth are, how scruffy the hair, how uh, voluptuous the figure, how tan the skin, how clear the face, how firm the abs. It's ridiculous. And it upsets me to no end.
No, I'm not saying that we aren't supposed to be attracted to people. I'm not saying that people who are "hot" by the worlds standards are not. Nor am I saying that pale is always the way to go. What I'm saying is, does anyone look for God anymore? I'm starting to doubt it. And when they do find God in someone, they make sure their appearance is up to par as well. If it's not, then oh well, they'll find another God-loving person with better looks. If you all haven't noticed yet, I have a burning inside of me towards the world's view of beauty and the world's view of precious and valuable people. This isn't a complete thought I guess, it's just something to ponder. When you go after someone... is it you going after them, or is it God leading you to them? Is your shallowness leading you away from the true deep relationships God wants you to have? Maybe. Probably more on this later.
I am a believer in the fact that God has certain people for you in your life for different reasons. Be it a boyfriend for a bad relationship run, or a friend for a lifetime. Nevertheless, (great band btw) people are in our lives for a reason and for a season. Lately every time I talk to someone about someone they like though, everything seems mixed up. They talk about how skinny the person is, how tall they are, how white their teeth are, how scruffy the hair, how uh, voluptuous the figure, how tan the skin, how clear the face, how firm the abs. It's ridiculous. And it upsets me to no end.
No, I'm not saying that we aren't supposed to be attracted to people. I'm not saying that people who are "hot" by the worlds standards are not. Nor am I saying that pale is always the way to go. What I'm saying is, does anyone look for God anymore? I'm starting to doubt it. And when they do find God in someone, they make sure their appearance is up to par as well. If it's not, then oh well, they'll find another God-loving person with better looks. If you all haven't noticed yet, I have a burning inside of me towards the world's view of beauty and the world's view of precious and valuable people. This isn't a complete thought I guess, it's just something to ponder. When you go after someone... is it you going after them, or is it God leading you to them? Is your shallowness leading you away from the true deep relationships God wants you to have? Maybe. Probably more on this later.
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