This series is so, so good. Kristen. It is fascinating how the same messages can affect different children so differently.
Having been raised in an evangelical household (my grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher), it is hard for my family to understand that I want to gauge where my kids are developmentally before I start sending them messages that they could end up having to heal from.
On an unrelated note, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn’t get the line out of my head from Hamilton: “Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder.”
"You taught us fear and called it faith. You celebrated tragedy and called it a testimony." ... that made me start to cry, because it's devastatingly true.
Wow, I have tears in my eyes. I heard this kind of talk as a kid in the UK too. I remember having a conversation with a Christian guy at university who said he wanted to be a martyr for Jesus, I just remember looking at him, and I just said "don't ever wish for that. You don't know what you're saying" and I challenged him on it there and then because it felt like such a flippant thing to say. And as I personally am on a road of recovery from OCD, I don't need to have talk that glorifies death and suffering, because I've already been there a thousand times in my mind. Praise God, He is the author of life, hope, healing, and restoration. To fully surrender to God's incredible desire for us to live and thrive is truly the most remarkable, freeing and glorious thing I have encountered. Daily I have to give myself back to the idea that God is not a God who torments us, but a God who fiercely fights for our freedom and redemption.
Wow, wow, wow. This wasn't just beautiful and powerful, it was exceptionally *clear,* you know? It stares right in the face of the messages that glorify death and say "God is glorified by RESURRECTION."
“I thought that’s what it meant to love God: to hurt. To die. To suffer.” So good! Because it's true and I do think this is stillsomething preached today. I continue to try and unravel a lot of this type of thinking. It's nice to know I'm not the only one!
Honestly, I thought I was the only person who might have thought this. I've been writing some memoir in the past few weeks about my experience with suffering, but starting it with "I planned to be a martyr," and I honestly had no clue if anyone would even relate to this.
It then has become the focus of therapy for me for the last month. It has been mind blowing. It turns out that GOD views martyrdom not as something to be excited about and honor, but to lament. Worldview shift for sure!
This just opens my eyes even more to this and that I am not alone. Loved this line especially: "You celebrated tragedy and called it testimony."
Good or bad, I believe some of this thinking led me to donate a kidney at the age of 26. Beautiful things have come of it, but my theology may have been a little wonky about suffering and my view of what God asks of my body. Thank you for putting words to it.
I have never had words to some of my experiences. I was raised around this too and yet I never could fully give in to that way of “living” and yet I definitely tried to “do” more to gain God’s love. “Faith is a garden”…Amen. Pruning mine and finding some beautiful flowers!
Even though we are around the same age and I grew up in the Bible Belt, surrounded by southern baptist churches and preachers, I was not raised IN the church. I went ... when I wanted and undoubtable listened to questionable theology but I wasn't seeped in it. It's been wild to read some of the indoctrination that raised half of my generation.
This series is so, so good. Kristen. It is fascinating how the same messages can affect different children so differently.
Having been raised in an evangelical household (my grandfather was a fire and brimstone preacher), it is hard for my family to understand that I want to gauge where my kids are developmentally before I start sending them messages that they could end up having to heal from.
On an unrelated note, the whole time I was reading this, I couldn’t get the line out of my head from Hamilton: “Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder.”
"You taught us fear and called it faith. You celebrated tragedy and called it a testimony." ... that made me start to cry, because it's devastatingly true.
Well, I will be sending this to my therapist. If I’m brave enough, I might even dig up my journals from the time Columbine happened. I was also 12.
Wow, I have tears in my eyes. I heard this kind of talk as a kid in the UK too. I remember having a conversation with a Christian guy at university who said he wanted to be a martyr for Jesus, I just remember looking at him, and I just said "don't ever wish for that. You don't know what you're saying" and I challenged him on it there and then because it felt like such a flippant thing to say. And as I personally am on a road of recovery from OCD, I don't need to have talk that glorifies death and suffering, because I've already been there a thousand times in my mind. Praise God, He is the author of life, hope, healing, and restoration. To fully surrender to God's incredible desire for us to live and thrive is truly the most remarkable, freeing and glorious thing I have encountered. Daily I have to give myself back to the idea that God is not a God who torments us, but a God who fiercely fights for our freedom and redemption.
This resonated deep for me. Thank you for putting words to the healing antidote for this kind of damage. 🧡
"Faith is a garden." Yes. I love it.
Wow, wow, wow. This wasn't just beautiful and powerful, it was exceptionally *clear,* you know? It stares right in the face of the messages that glorify death and say "God is glorified by RESURRECTION."
I am loving this series ... It makes me feel less alone. And my eyes are being opened to how 90s evangelism really shaped a generation ...
“I thought that’s what it meant to love God: to hurt. To die. To suffer.” So good! Because it's true and I do think this is stillsomething preached today. I continue to try and unravel a lot of this type of thinking. It's nice to know I'm not the only one!
Honestly, I thought I was the only person who might have thought this. I've been writing some memoir in the past few weeks about my experience with suffering, but starting it with "I planned to be a martyr," and I honestly had no clue if anyone would even relate to this.
It then has become the focus of therapy for me for the last month. It has been mind blowing. It turns out that GOD views martyrdom not as something to be excited about and honor, but to lament. Worldview shift for sure!
This just opens my eyes even more to this and that I am not alone. Loved this line especially: "You celebrated tragedy and called it testimony."
This just makes me feel so sad for “that girl”. I’m so sorry you lived that and I’m so grateful you realized the TRUTH!
Good or bad, I believe some of this thinking led me to donate a kidney at the age of 26. Beautiful things have come of it, but my theology may have been a little wonky about suffering and my view of what God asks of my body. Thank you for putting words to it.
I have never had words to some of my experiences. I was raised around this too and yet I never could fully give in to that way of “living” and yet I definitely tried to “do” more to gain God’s love. “Faith is a garden”…Amen. Pruning mine and finding some beautiful flowers!
Even though we are around the same age and I grew up in the Bible Belt, surrounded by southern baptist churches and preachers, I was not raised IN the church. I went ... when I wanted and undoubtable listened to questionable theology but I wasn't seeped in it. It's been wild to read some of the indoctrination that raised half of my generation.
You showed me a God that delighted … so good! love you friend!