Sometimes legislature is easier to advocate for than a person.

I've been reading and seeing so many things that have just saddened me lately:
People being torn down by people who have never been (and never will be) in their situations.
People who don't know that they are severely loved by a God who will never leave them.
"Christians" who are more interested in telling others they're wrong rather than loving them as Christ loved the Church.
The same Christians who dare to judge a speck in someone else's eye before taking the plank out of their own.
People of God not daring to look into someone life and situation and understand where that person is.
People hating others who are trying to do the same things we're all doing (live our lives) before loving them, growing them, speaking God's love to them.


This is a response to many things, but most recently the controversy around abortion. I am heartbroken that the words "pro-life" get thrown around by people only talking about one thing.

Yes, we should be concerned about abortion, but we should also be concerned about other life issues like:

Supporting the women and couples before they get pregnant with education, finances, prayer, love, community.
Supporting the women who have chosen abortion because many of them struggle to do life normally afterward.
Supporting the women who chose not to have an abortion, but sometimes wonder if they should have because they are struggling financially to keep their kid alive.


I'm talking about love. All too often, people (Christians, I'm looking at you) get caught up in policies and government and macro level things and we forget about the people they will effect. We forget that Jesus spent so much of his time with people who were hated in their society.

I'm saying we should all spend a whole lot more time with those people our opinions effect and understand their lives. We should be the first ones offering them help, not calling them wicked and Satanic and judging them for seeking someone who will understand (I'm looking at you, Matt Walsh).

The next time you say something about abortion, please please dare to spend time with someone who has had one or who has chosen not to have one. It's all too easy to look at this mass of people and label them as child murderers, baby killers, and anti-life. Because it's a defense mechanism. It's easy-- meaning it's easy on our hearts. It's much more difficult to realize that the issue is not black and white. There are millions of people involved, born and unborn. But please don't forget that each of them has a story. Each of them has a purpose and each of them is dearly loved by God and it's our job to make sure they know that, no matter what their choices are!!!

Yes, we as Christians are called to share the Truth, but the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40).

How dare we act as though we know what's going on in someone's life at a moment of desperation?
How dare we put laws and bills and legislature above loving a person?
How dare we fail to reach out to these people before they even get pregnant?
How dare we fail to be a part of healing after a traumatic event like an abortion?


For those of you who think that ending abortion will be the end of pro-life issues, what about the death penalty? What about providing families with extra assistance? What about poverty? What about world hunger? Don't you dare point your finger at someone else before you do what you can to address these equally pro-life issues. Please advocate for good politicians and legislature. But more importantly, advocate for the people who God calls us to love.

25 Before 25

A few weeks ago, I was spending time with some friends and we were talking about how another friend of ours made a list of 25 things to do before 25. We thought this was a great idea and set out to make our own versions of our lists. Some were 25 before 25, or 30 before 30... Some of us have long amounts of time, while others just have a few months to complete our lists.

We all got a piece of paper and something to write with and began writing. I wrote one thing down, and started on another one, and realized I couldn't think of anything else. I'd have an idea, and then not write it down because it felt unattainable. I didn't want to disappoint myself by not doing it.

I had a few things on my list, and gave up. But I've spent some more time thinking about it, and I do have a few things I'd like to do before I'm 25. So, without further ado, here's my 25 before 25 list:

1) Get a dog
2) Feel more settled (have my own place where I intend on being for longer than a year)
3) Be on Weight Watchers for at least 6 straight months (and hopefully longer after that).
4) Go to Maine
5) Get a tattoo
6) Go on a road trip
7) Climb a high peak
8) Vote (To be real honest, I haven't voted, and that's really extremely sad and embarrassing)
9) Stick to a budget for more than a month
10) Read 100 books
11) Get to the top of a tree climbing rope at camp
12) Finish my Harry Potter sweater (finally)
13) Go on a date
14) Take a month off of social media/smart phone
15) Decide if I want braces, get them if I do
16) RUN a 5k
17) Host a classy party (Hopefully a Christmassy one so I can wear my cute sweater dress)
18) Make a quilt
19) Get connected/involved in a church
20) Go to NYC and enjoy it (last time I went I stayed in my hotel room and read "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (and Other Concerns)" Which is ironic because yes, yes they were).
21) Buy a nice pair of professional shoes that I can wear often (without worrying about the price).
22) Go on a beautiful, wonderful, fantastic trip to somewhere far away.
23) Learn how to cook one dish (rather than baking... I love baking but cooking... not so much).
24) Go on a camping trip with friends
25) Go on a canoe/kayak trip


I tried to put things down so that I could cross them off definitively. Instead of putting things like "get better at blah blah," I tried to put more specific things down. Hopefully I can get them done, but if I don't, I've decided I'll still love myself no matter what... Because this list is not the end of the world, and I made it to challenge myself to have fun and to make the most of life.