Why Government Will Never Have/Be the Solution

For quite some time I've been sick of politics. The constant fighting, bickering, finger pointing, and the "us" vs. "them" structure there is between the parties, has me dizzy and annoyed. The "us" vs. "them" attitude also extends into fights between nations, religious group, and races, and I can't help but think that somewhere we are missing the mark. That politics, as we know them, aren't the solution. My mind has been swirling with a bunch of questions, and those questions have led me to a different, still evolving, perspective.

I've been super challenged with the idea of pacifism- actively seeking peace without violence, loving your neighbor and your enemies unconditionally, radical generosity, and service to others. The more I learn about Christ and see what his life modeled, the more I see that those are things that followers of His must confront. 

My confrontation with those ideas, coupled with some great podcasts and books, have led me to consider the real reason why politics frustrate me... It's that the political systems in the world seek power through force, and threat of punishment. Laws are in place to give us boundaries and to hopefully modify potentially harmful behavior, by having clear consequences for those certain behaviors. Many people don't break the law or don't harm others for fear of consequence. Though I believe we need laws, and ways to keep us accountable for our actions, governmental systems don't get to the root of the problem. Governments don't deal with people's hearts. They can set parameters in place to keep people in line, but they can't change anyone's desire to do those things in the first place. Governments rule over people, with threat of penalty and punishment...and we can see where that has gotten us. Conflict, arguments, and war. Lots of war.

What is the solution to war, conflict, and personal and political discord? It's a shift in perspective. It's turning the systems we live under, upside down. It's viewing others as equals. It's considering that we have the same tendencies to be extremists as the Muslims and that we feel just as passionately about our agenda as they do. No cause is more righteous than other- not even America's cause, because we are all fallen, and in need of grace. It's saying that instead of retaliating, we will seek for peaceful ways to manage and solve conflict. It's considering and putting others' needs before our own. It's giving generously, instead of holding tightly to what we consider is "ours." It's loving your enemies to the point of self-sacrifice. It's passionately serving. It's humbling ourselves before each other. It's dealing with matters of the heart, and changing from the inside out. It's "power under," not "power over," as Greg Boyd puts in his book "Myth of a Christan Nation."

So you can imagine that yesterday, when the Supreme Court didn't overturn what's affectionately called "Obamacare," I was annoyed at all the accusatory words, and nasty finger pointing from both sides. The truth is, we can't expect that one system or program is perfect and/or will solve our problems. The question is, where do we put our hope? If our hope is in political systems we will always be let down, and there will always be fighting and bloodshed.  Refocusing our purpose and attention is what solves problems. And that's about grace, love, understanding, and service... not lording power over others.

I never want to assume that all of my readers consider themselves Christians, but because it's a part of my life, I write about it. But, whether you subscribe to a certain faith or not, I think we can all agree that kindness, gentleness, and understanding is important, and changes people. However, if you do consider yourself someone who follows Christ, then I invite you to join me in wrestling with the complexities of what putting so much weight on politics and government can bring, and consider where to align ourselves. Worldly or heavenly.

This is new to me, so in no way am I fully "there." I'm just trying to be honest with my thoughts, in hopes that we can journey through this together.

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Jessica

Many of the thoughts in this post are in response to, and in paraphrase of Greg Boyd's "Myth of a Christian Nation." I wanted to give credit where it's due.

PRODUCTS That Kick Ass

Sorry for the long hiatus in video posts. I'm back!
This week's focus is about products that kick ass.

Watch the video below to see what I'm giving the "POW! Award" to.

I Take It Back!

DON'T use Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller if you have sensitive skin around your eyes. The product has great coverage, but it gave me a small rash under my eye. Check out the link and see if it's right for you.

DO use e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer. Great coverage, great consistency, and no rash! Plus it's a little less expensive.

And the Pow! Award Goes to...

NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer is a fabulous primer to put on before your make-up. It gives your skin a nice glow, it's light, and it's only $4.00. All those things combined deem this product worthy of the "POW! Award." Try this product if you're interested in a new primer.

Essie Bikini So Teeny. A color reminiscent of something that Tinkerbell/Cinderella would wear. You'll get compliments left and right. Plus, Essie is a fabulous brand. Thanks for introducing me to this color, Andrea! This color gets the "POW! Award."

What's kicking ass in your week? Do share!

Head over to Jenny's blog and see what's kicking ass in AZ!

See you next time, friends!

~Jessica

Just Live- My Truth About Fear and Worry

I am someone who is easily prone to fear and worry. The difference between the two words is minimal, but the outcome is the same; a mind that is out of control.

Only in the last year have I begun to see how much my fears have gripped me, and how much of my head space had been devoted to the things I fear. It's been an array of things from fear of disappointing people, fear of not having enough money to live, to genuinely fearing the end of the world. Plus a whole lot in between.

There's certainly a healthy amount of fear and worry that are appropriate in one's life, because at times those emotions can be good indicators of what we need to be freed from, but all too often we sit and dwell in the fear and worry camp, rather than get to the root of those anxieties. The root in my life at least, has always been a need for control.

Last year I was asked, "What would you think about if you weren't worrying or in fear all the time?" At that point, I couldn't even answer the question because I was so deep in my fears and worries. I truthfully had no idea what I would fill my mind with if it wasn't with the things I was afraid of and worried about. That question stirred in me for awhile. I tried to picture what it could possibly be like to have no fear or worry constantly consuming me. During that time, my answer still remained that I didn't know.

I think subconsciously I knew that I was not going to get out of this nasty habit and cycle on my own. I think I even knew that my habit of fearing and worrying wasn't going to be something I was weened from; it was something that I needed ripped from me, and taken away. I needed to quit this worry and fear drug, cold turkey.

That day came April 22, 2011. I remember it vividly. I could write for days about what I experienced that Friday morning. I won't though, for your sake. What I will say is that as I was laying in bed that morning, the words, "Just live," kept ringing in my ear. "Just live." A lot collided for me in that moment, and I was overwhelmed with two things. First, the realization that my fears and worries were robbing me of living in the present and seeing the beauty in my days, and had been for some time. And second, I realized that I had never experienced what true freedom from something felt like. Since that day, miraculously, and by grace that can only come from above, I have been free from the consumption of fear and worry. Do I still worry and fear things? Yes. I do have kids, a husband, bills to pays, and demands to my life, after all, but I don't feel plagued by it. I don't feel debilitated by it. The difference for me, internally, is night and day.

See, worry and fear had become my God. I worshiped it by giving it all the attention I had. It had become my norm, in a strange way. It was just a part of me. And that's the problem of fear and worry. It consumes us with the wrong things. It's inward facing, it's all about self, and it's a prison. It traps us into thinking that we are all that matters. That we are our own solution. When we are free from the bondage of worry and fear, because there is serious bondage in those things, a paradigm shift happens. The sun doesn't rotate around the earth anymore. The earth rotates around the sun, and that sets everything else in perfect order.

So, the question remained, "What would I think about, if I didn't worry and fear all the time?" My new answer is this.... beauty. Beauty in the meaning and experience of true freedom, beauty in my kids, beauty in my marriage, beauty in the life I live, and have been graciously given. Beauty in figuring out who I am, and being me. I have been able to take better care of myself, make some amazing new friends, stop and smell the roses a bit more, and start to learn a new perspective- Living life with open palms instead of closed fists. I'm not walking around in la-la land, implying that I have this art mastered, or saying that I still don't have worries and fears creep up...hello, this world is filled with things to scare us, but what I am saying is that my mind has been freed, and I'm more quickly able to get my feet back on the ground than before. I am able to "just live," a lot more easily.