That Awkward Moment

when Caitlyn Jenner inspires you to take action in your faith. 

I do not agree with nor condone the lifestyle choices Jenner has made, but I will proudly say I agree with the way she is impacting people's lives. Past her appearance and gender identity struggles, she is advocating suicide prevention and open mindedness towards loving those who are different. Instead of focusing on what's wrong with the world, why don't we focus on what's right for a while? Instead of posting status updates about what we had for dinner or how we disagree with so-and-so about such-and-such, why don't we compliment someone or write something positive we've seen in the world around us. It takes the same amount of time and effort to be positive, and you aren't the only one who will be impacted by a smile.

Imagine this: you go to chickfila alone for lunch. An older lady is in there eating alone too. You could do one of two things: 1) walk by her on your way to the restroom, acting as though she is just another face in the crowd; or 2) sit down at the table next to her and be intentional with her-- smile at her and ask her how she is doing, ask her if she'd like you to take her tray of trash or get her a refill on her drink, let her know that even though you've never met her and she knows nothing about you, you care about her. Her confidence and happiness will increase and regardless of what she has going on outside of the walls of that chickfila, she might be able to smile at someone else. 

In a world of increasing technological advances and larger screens to hide behind, may we always remember how important physical social contact is for the sake of saving lives. 

"We need more tolerance and empathy towards other people. It's so hard for young people because they can't see the future...and because of that they become extraordinarily desperate, and suicide becomes an option. We have to do something about that. Young people have to realize that there is so much help out there." -Caitlyn Jenner

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Just because

I really need to post this, because it's pressing my heart and on the off chance that this might find someone when they need it, I can't risk hiding it in a journal. 

Pain is real. Hardships are real. Persecution is so real, religious or non-religious. Bullying, mental illness, suicide, they're all real. Just because these issues may not directly affect you, does not make them any less real to someone else. Think of a time when you were hurting; I know there has been at least one. Maybe you were going through a break up, an argument with your best friend, a death in the family. Maybe you struggle with depression, anxiety, or another mental disorder. You know what sadness feels like, regardless of the form it came in. Try to remember how you felt during that time. Remember specifics about it. Now, you aren't the only one in the world who has faced this experience. You are not the only one in the world who is broken, sad, angry, anxious. Go scroll through Facebook for 5 minutes, you'll see how many others are broken. Brokenness, sadness, heartache, longing, these are all common emotions. If you know how badly the hurt felt for you, why would you even consider bullying, arguing, or avoiding thoughts of the 7 billion other people in the world going through hurt? Just because you are feeling weightless right now doesn't mean the rest of the world has been relieved of their hurt. We can't just so idly by and let others believe their lives aren't worth living because they are broken. ALL of us are broken. ALL of us have cried. ALL of us have something in our lives we don't like to talk about because it brings unwanted emotions to the surface. How can we seriously watch the world go by from our .000001% point of view of the world, and let other people believe they are alone in their hurt? It's beyond past time for us to get over ourselves and remember the first emotion we ever felt: love. We were born to love and be loved. As time goes on, the world and it's darkness scrapes away at our hearts until we feel there is not enough hours in the day to focus on anyone but ourselves. I'm here to tell you, you CAN change that point of view. You CAN change your mindset to one that sees other people, that knows other people, and that wants to understand and help other people. Even if it's just the people closest to you, wouldn't you want to be there for your friends anyways? Open your eyes, people. Open your minds. Open your hearts. Don't watch the world go by pretending that the things that hurt other people don't exist. People need other people. When you are there for others, others are there for you. Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if we could all support the hearts of others, if we could all hurt together instead of alone? Hurt is inevitable, loneliness through it is not. My passion is to drive the thought into people's minds that this is not your world. You are not the only one that matters. You are not the only one that hurts. Reach out to someone who could use a friend or a kind word today and let them know you were thinking of them. Consider how this would affect you if you were the one someone reached out to. I imagine it would brighten your life. 

I'm sorry this isn't written better, it doesn't flow the way I'd like it to. I just need to get this off of my chest somehow, and I can't let it stay private. Although no one may see this for a while, I pray someone sees it when they need to. I pray that whoever does see this receives the love and support they need in their time of struggle. If I can do anything for you, contact me directly. I love and care for you, and I want to be here for you if I can.