I am really not sure how to begin this posting. I am not a confrontational person but sometimes I feel like I should take a stand. I have been praying for boldness and I think this is one of those times that I should be bold for my beliefs.
This morning, I happened upon a posting from a blog that I have been following. The blog is 31 Rubies and the posting that I read can be found here. Please take a moment to read this so that you will understand where this is coming from.
After I read this posting, I went to their “About” section to remind myself of the mission of the blog. I knew that it was based on Proverbs 31:10 but I wanted to see again how the administrator stated what the purpose of the blog was. Here is what I found: “The purpose of 31 Rubies is to glorify God while encouraging, educating and inspiring mothers from all walks of life.” This is a GREAT mission. However, I am struggling with how this posting upholds to that mission.
One issue that I have with this posting are the references to beer and drinking beer. All over this blog, in general, are statements of Christian beliefs, bible verses, and again ensuring that they are glorifying God. The bible tells us that we should not be “drunk with wine” specifically in Ephesians 5:18. Now, I know that most of our flesh minds would say “that says to be ‘drunk’ ”. However, in Romans 13:14 it is written, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” So, should we not drink at all because that does gratify the desires of the flesh? I don’t think that should be a question that I should answer but something that one should pray about and discern with God.
The other thing that I find hard to swallow about this is the fact that this is a mothering blog. The writer mentions of drinking beer on the beach where I would make the assumption that her children are there also. As Christians, we are to be Christ-like. We are to separate ourselves from worldly things and things that are unclean. “You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine”, Leviticus 20:25-26. I just don’t see this as being the best example we can be for our children or any one else that may walk in our path.
The main point that I am trying to get across is our image. Again, we are to be Christ-like. If someone walked past you on the beach as you were slurping down a beer and knew that you were a “Christian”, what type of image would that portray? I would hope to think that you would believe it wouldn’t be a very good one. The person walking by doesn’t know that you aren’t “drinking in excess” or “to get drunk”. What if that person was very close to becoming a Christian and then they see you drinking? Would it be enough to throw that person aback and not want to make the awesome change in their life of becoming a Christian? What kind of Christian example does this leave for your children?
As I close on my thoughts, let me just say that I have really enjoyed following 31 Rubies. I think the ladies have had very valuable information from all walks of life and have given great ideas/suggestions from several different family types. It’s also fun to get a good chuckle from some of the stories that are shared through the postings. I would just like for all of us to ponder on and pray about our “unspoken testimonies”. They show a lot more than we think!
I appreciate your stand on your beliefs. I, too, am a follower of 31 rubies and a follower of Christ. I believe that the bible is the true, unmistakable word of God. I may not be able to quote scripture as well as I would like to, but I have learned a few things in my continuing walk.
ReplyDeleteI think the purpose of Catherine’s blog was a rating system for books that is similar to the movie rating system that gives the reader an idea of the content of the book, in order to make an informed decision. That was the intent and purpose of her latest posting. I think this absolutely glorifies God by encouraging mothers to make informed choices of their beach reads. She simply says, the information is here so do with it what you will. Also, something very God-like, God never pushes down the door, he knocks politely.
Consider this, gratifying the flesh is not all bad. We see this in the house we live in, the car we drive, the food we eat. The problem occurs when gratifying the flesh becomes more important than your Christian life. (I think this is what was meant by the Romans quote)
Our Christian image is an important one, yes, definitely. However, when God chooses to pursue one of his sheep, there is nothing a human can say or do that will interfere with that, in fact God is so awesome that he will take our mistakes with that person and make them work for His good. Christian image goes far beyond what people see, it’s more about what they do.
When you model and then discuss responsible behavior in the areas of drinking, relationships, sex, money, health etc. you are setting a Godly example.
A Christian’s life is not always so black and white. It’s in the gray that you experience relationship with Christ, with other believers, and with non-believers. The gray is where the growth is.
Hi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI sent an email to what I think was your personal address but I wanted to publicly thank you for sharing your perspective about today's 31 Rubies blog. Since I read that you couldn't find our email addresses, I thought I would make mine available to you in case you wanted it for future questions or comments. I am so happy that you are a reader and find 31R's a safe place to flesh out your beliefs and disagree. The body of Christ and it's diversity is a beautiful thing.
God's best to you,
Nikki Brungard