Hello.... My Name is Donna Kay....

This morning after I went for a run I was doing my usual check-in on facebook before heading off to Yoga class.  It's like reading the morning paper to check and see what incredible things happened in my friends lives over the past 12-24 hours that I may have missed, and checking on local businesses to see if any special things had been posted that I needed to be aware of to make my day better.  I did get a notification about a comment on a friends post from the day before... so of course, in my curiosity I did click to check it out.  Nothing exciting in the post, but rather it was the person who had made the comment that interested me - someone who used to be on my "friends" list, but no longer resides there.  Just to get something straight: I have rejection issues, and therefore I have a hard time rejecting others.  To delete someone from my friends list takes a minimum of 6-months of counseling, and usually ends in recruiting someone else to come and push that actual "DELETE" button for me. {and truly, I'm not exaggerating much about that!} Ok... so back to why this bothered me.  

This particular person isn't someone I've ever personally met, and I'm always careful about those "friends" on social media, simply because I am so vocal and transparent about everything in my life.  In this case, there were lots of ties with mutual friends and family (my family - not theirs) that I had accepted their request way back when.  But I will never forget the day that they ended our brief friendship, because I received a less-than-loving message in my inbox.  

What I did receive was a message telling me what a self-righteous, discriminating and hateful person I was because I "hated" on someone different than me.  I was at first floored, confused that maybe they had sent it to the wrong person, and then once I realized what sad angle they were coming from I decided to let them go calmly into their never-never-land and not give a response back.  Sometimes it's smart to remember those words most Moms used to say to their kids {over, and over, and over again...} "If you don't have something nice to say, then just don't say anything at all..."  Well, at that moment I didn't have anything nice to say.  But now, well, NOW I have plenty to say to people like this!!  It might start something like this:

Hi... my name is Donna Kay.  I am a Christian.  I believe the Bible - every single word in it.  Some of the words I wish I could take out, because they do make my life hard... but I truly believe {with all my heart} that being a Christian is having a relationship with Jesus Christ.  And I believe when He said "if you love me, you will obey me."  Because that's what the Bible says.  I also believe that if I say I believe the Bible, that I have to believe it all.  I can't just pick and choose the parts I like or want to believe or follow.  It just doesn't work that way {actually, most other books or manuals don't work that way either -- but as humans we don't argue so much about those!} I have never said anything that would or could lead anyone to think I feel that I'm perfect... in fact, I've always stated very clearly just the opposite.  And as I continue to get older I learn year by year just how imperfect and broken I actually am - and just how very much I need a Savior, who happens to be Jesus Christ.  Furthermore, in believing the Bible I stand on Absolute Truth - that there are things that are just wrong {"sins", actually, to use a very unpopular and politically incorrect word!} and it's not about my opinion, or that of anyone else for that matter.  Whether that's sexual sin, murder or whatever... it's all encompassing. So whether it's about my life or the life of another person, sin is still sin.  It's not about opinions.  Yet, because I know I'm not perfect - that I'm still a work in progress - that I have dealt with much brokenness in my own life -- well, I am not here to personally judge anyone else.  If I believe against or for something, I will stand for my beliefs.  I will gladly give reasons, if ever asked, for my beliefs - and I will stake my life on those beliefs if they are biblical beliefs.  Does that mean I don't love or care for someone who doesn't share those beliefs or live by those same beliefs?  ABSOLUTELY NOT.  And someone would be hard pressed to show up and testify differently about me.  I have friends of every aspect, with many differing beliefs, living many different kinds of lives, and I love all of my friends.  Honestly, I probably have a softer heart for the friends who have struggles in a more understanding kind of way... simply because I've faced so many struggles in my own life and know how it feels to be judged or cast away.

Yet, someone decided that they felt I was a bad person because I stand on my beliefs.  That is where I would like to ask: How do YOU discriminate against ME because I don't agree with you?  Isn't that what you are accusing me of?  How do you call ME intolerant -- when you are showing clearly that you are intolerant of me because my beliefs are different from yours?  How can you call me hateful, when I have never shown any hate - even in expressing or standing firmly on my beliefs?

There was a time that being "unfriended" would truly have bothered me... I would take it personally, and I might even send a pitiful message back that probably would sound pretty desperate and sad asking why they didn't like me {ok, maybe not that pitiful, but you get the idea here.}  But as I said, year after year of living has brought changes to the way I see things.  And now I can see that all I can do is stand firmly on what I believe - what I believe with all my heart, and stake my life {and eternity} upon.  And in standing firmly, in loving those whom I come in contact with whether we agree or disagree in our beliefs, in sharing the love and grace that has been extended to me, I have come to understand that some will grasp that -- and some will not.  And I will just have to accept that everyone will not love me ...but I can continue to love them anyway.