My life is a mess.  A seemingly (key word here, but that’s another post for another day) chaotic, unorganized, hectic, never-ending, beautiful mess.  I don’t have all the answers.  In fact, the surplus alone of the amount of questions and wonderings that consume my heart outweighs the first and only portion of my heart that contains beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt answers.  But when we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t it that way for all of us?  

Who actually has more answers than questions?  

Only One.  There is only One person in this existence who could look me in the eyes, tell me anything under the sun, and I wouldn’t question Him in the least.  So, unless you have scars on your wrists, rose from the dead, and socialize with angels, stop acting like you know everything about everything.  

Your opinions are nothing more than that: opinions.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines opinion as “a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter; a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge.”  AN OPINION IS NOT NECESSARILY BIBLICAL TRUTH.

For example.  How in the world has society decided which words in the English language are going to be considered “cuss words”?  Honestly, let’s think about this for a minute.  I don’t recall an eleventh commandment in which “thou shalt not say fuck, shit, damn, bitch or ass” was ordered.  I can appreciate that some people just simply don’t like hearing it.  That’s fine.  I personally can’t stand the words crusty, puss (gag) or wasabi (food poisoning ruined that one for me) and would rather not hear them.  If you don’t like the word shit, and would rather not hear it, I’ll respect that.  But the moment you start telling me that I shouldn’t be saying it because it’s a sin is the moment that I begin questioning how solid your judgement really is.  I am no less loved by God the Father because I throw around an occasional “dirty word”.  He knows my heart.  In fact, no matter how close you and I may be, He’s the only one who truly knows me and my intentions, even better than I do.

And I’m not just talking about cussing.  I think it’s safe to say that every single thing you do is judged in some way by someone who has deemed themselves worthy of judging.  I’ve (finally) come to a point in my life where I no longer care what people think of me.  (Granted, I’m not gonna walk around in corduroy overalls and a sombrero just because I don’t give a shit, but you know what I mean.)  It doesn’t matter if I’m witnessing to remote villages in the depths of Africa or murdering puppies just for the hell of it, SOMEONE out there isn’t going to be happy.  By the world’s standards, we can’t win for losing.  We never measure up.  Which is why — and friends, hear me closely, because comprehending this is the most beautiful thing you could do for yourself — it is no small thing that Jesus Christ the Risen Savior has redeemed us, and made us capable of being perfect, if only in His eyes.  Because His eyes are the only ones that matter.

I don’t go looking for a fight.  I don’t like it when people are mad at me or dislike me.  I try not to be controversial or problematic.  But when it comes down to it, if you have a problem with who I am, what I’m doing or what I’m saying, chances are I’m not going to change just to please you.  Like I said earlier, if you don’t like to hear cussing, I’m not going to cuss around you.  If you feel like the subjects of drugs, sex, or alcohol (for example) are too taboo for you, then we won’t discuss them.  But I will not change who I am.  Your “view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter” is not of great interest to me.  I’m coming out of a very dark time in my life, and beginning to realize that the Savior is the only path to sheer, utter, never-ending happiness.  I may not be at that point yet, and the journey ahead of me may yet be long and hard, but I’m on my way nonetheless.  So stop your judgments.  Stop with your narrow-minded views of life.  Open your eyes to Truth, not opinion.  Stop and ask yourself, “what right have I to judge?  What am I basing my opinions on?”

I will only briefly touch on this (I could go much deeper, but again, that’s for another post), but I want you to know that the Church does not have all of the answers.  I think it is still a wonderful thing that should be talked of with great reverence, and I believe that we as believers should still be surrounding ourselves in a body of fellow believers.  But, at least in my case, what we grew up being taught to believe is not necessarily Truth.  Find the answers for yourself, my friends.  Seek the Truth.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Don’t let yourself be force-fed.  Pick up your spoon and do it the hard way; learn.  And who knows, maybe your opinions will all change.