The Hunnicutt Homestead

New Creation Meets My Past

I have recently joined Facebook at the urging of various friends and seeing my husband reconnect with people from his past.  Facebook is one of those websites similar to myspace or reunion.com where you can place photos, comments and share posts that reflect you as a person or where you are in your life.  It is more of a condensed version of a blog with the ability to send quick notes back and forth between friends.  It can be a great communication tool, or it can really cause misunderstandings and blunders, especially when it limits the number of characters you are allowed to type.  I have been able to reconnect with several people from my high school, but while I feel I have changed much, I have been forced to recognize that many I grew up with are stagnant in how they view the world.

I grew up in Iowa City, Iowa, a college town with very liberal views on pretty much every aspect of life.  As an example, I was sharing my old yearbooks with some friends who had grown up here in Ohio as well as a person who had graduated from California.  They were quite shocked at the articles on birth control, teen sexuality, drinking, drugs as well as photos of teens partying with beers in hand.  These photos were taken back in 1988 and 1989.  We often hear people comparing kids today with how things were when they grew up, usually our days being far better in terms of morals, but I have friends who look at these yearbooks of mine and say, "That would have never flown in my high school back in the 80's!  Nor would it in my child's school now!"

As a Christian, we relate to the verse, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new." 1Cor. 5:17  I am thankful that I have been made new.  That I am no longer that old self, the one who saw the world through eyes that were very self serving, with a heart that seemed to judge well between right and wrong, but in the end would often lead to heartache and misery, not just for me but often for others around me because of my actions.  I know that to some people reading this blog they will not understand.  But once I believed that the Jesus Christ we have heard so much about in history was actually the son of God who died for all mankind as payment for all of the wrong, selfish and immoral things people do, it was as if a veil had been lifted before my eyes and what I was unable to see or comprehend suddenly became clear and in focus. 

Don't get me wrong, it is not a transition that takes place immediately or overnight.  One doesn't become perfect or righteous after asking for God's forgiveness and seeking God's way of living instead of their own.  There is a maturation process.  Some skyrocket, some stumble along falling into pits of muck before accepting the hand that is reaching down to them to pull them out and clean them off yet again.  Others never get off being spoon fed spiritual nutrition, constantly relying on others to hold their hand through life, being unable to answer why they believe what they believe.  Some become modern day Pharisees, thinking that they are better than others because of a religion, not a relationship; forgetting easily they are still imperfect and that Christ paid a great price for their salvation and would like us to love those people we are labeling just as He has shown a sacrificial love for us. 

This idea of self-righteousness isn't limited to those of faith.  It is something we have all struggled with at one time or another, Christian or not.  The idea of thinking that your own way of thinking is "right", thus the people who do not fall into your line of beliefs or views are ostensibly wrong, deceived, ignorant, or just plain idiotic.  Do not misunderstand me, I unequivocally believe that the bible is the word of God; inspired by God and written through man's hand.  It hasn't passed away and within it's 66 books there is a beautiful consistency of God's mercy, grace, providence as well as fariness and foretelling of the One who will redeem this messed up world we live in.

That being said, coming face to face with the realization that there are very few people from my childhood who believe the same things I do makes me very sad indeed.  On one hand I feel like the doctor who has the cure for a deadly disease and a patient who flat out refuses, because of comfort in the status quo, stubborness, or fear to take the medicine that will save his life.  I would love to find my former classmates alive with joy, experiencing the fullness God has for them in their marriage, in their value as a person, in their uniqueness as an individual made by a creator who loves them very much.  But many scoff at these things, as I often did once in my life. 

I know what they are thinking and feeling.  I was there, too.  I did not have a "come to Jesus" moment.  I was making a fat salary working for a Fortune 100 company, owned my own home, was in the prime of my life and everything was going pretty well for me.  I could afford pretty much anything, I was single, free to do as I pleased, and living the life I had imagined.  I thought the "religious" people I knew were fools.  Who were they to judge?  Why were there so many wars in the name of religion?  They couldn't all be right!  Look at all those corrupt bozos asking for money!  Look at all those hypocrites who were saying one thing and then screwing up their lives by doing something else.  Don't give me that religion crap, puh-lease!

So what happened?  I had been invited to a bible study by my aunt.  I wanted to go out of curiousity, for intellectual reasons.  I wanted a better understanding of the bible as so many people were clinging to it as truth.  I wanted to understand the history and the background.  I was skeptical that this study would be able to hold my interest and be able to teach me anything at all.  I didn't want to go if it was another hellfire and brimstone preacher, yapping at me about how I should do x,y,and z.  I also wanted to avoid like the plague that goofy Kumbayah group who thought anything and everything was great.  Fortunately, it was neither. 

The more I learned, the hungrier I became to learn more.  The more I read and discussed who God was, the more I realized how far from that standard I was.  Yet I also learned that despite my condition in God's eyes, I was loved by Him.  He didn't want me to stay the way I was, but would change me and be faithful to help me reach my potential to be the person he created me to be.

I'm still striving to become more Christlike.  The call to love others as I would myself and to love God with my everything is a challenge all by itself.  This becomes especially apparent with the current election drawing near.  So many people with different ideas of how to fix things, but there is one thing we all have in common:  the desire for peace on earth.

I struggle with those who cry "peace, peace", but they will not make an effort to befriend their own countrymen who they may not agree with.  Instead we see photos, posts, of continued strife in our own backyard.  Christian, have you reached out to love that "baby-killing liberal you can't stand"?  Democrat, can you love that religious right wing zealot who thinks they have a right to condemn others and take away their freedoms?  We have our own warfare right here in our neighborhoods, in our own backyards, on our home computers.  As Christians, we know how our Lord would have us conquer evil if we have read any scripture at all.  As fellow humans we should be able to recognize the hypocrisy of our actions.  Am I someone who is quick to stir up strife?  I know I have been guilty of such a thing.

I will leave off with a couple of quotes to think on:

"Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs."  Proverbs 10:12

"Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.  Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you."  Proverbs 9:7-8

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.  I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him."  John 5:39-43

"When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked [man,] you shall surely die!' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked [man] shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. When I say to the righteous [that] he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die."  Ezekiel 33:8,9,13

"...If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."" Romans 10:9-13

casey

{ 10:24, Sunday, November 2, 2008 } { Posted by Anonymous }

man, now i have to send my liberal sister a note of love before this election! aw, i hate it when the Spirit gives me a kick in the butt! :) great blog Marcie! i can relate and i will pray for you to not get too many repercussions from this "story"! love ya sistah in Christ! i am still amazed that we were baptized the same day in the same wave pool and didn't know each other! wow, REALLY small world!

Hey there

{ 06:22, Monday, November 3, 2008 } { Posted by Hunnicutts }

I added one more verse because I think I failed to accurately describe how this love we should have comes from the love of God in our hearts...Thanks for reading!!!

Untitled Comment

{ 11:47, Monday, November 3, 2008 } { Posted by Anonymous }

Hi Marcie! I am a Christian. I am a Democrat. I am also pro-choice (NOT pro-abortion!). I take great offense to the words "baby-killing liberals". I would hope that any Christian would be Christ-like by not judging and condemning others for their beliefs!
Greetings to your family and love from your old JCC buddy, Cara

For Cara

{ 11:26, Tuesday, November 4, 2008 } { Posted by Hunnicutts }

Hi Cara, good to hear from you. Your comment was kind of my point. Just as some people are offended by the "baby-killer' name, so are conservative Christians when they are labeled extremists, zealots, etc. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough and you were offended. The point of my article was to demonstrate how quickly we can be to use language and actions that do not show love, but rather promote strife instead of peace.
However, many Christians would argue that according to scripture, 'though shall not kill' indicates abortion is never a good answer as it does cause death to an unborn person. The American Academy of Physicians as well as most medical circles have established that life begins at conception, so to argue that the unborn child is not a person is a moot point. Literally 'to cause death' is "killing" as the unborn person is without guilt and cannot defend themselves. Furthermore, when pro-choice, one is making exceptions to God's rule and folks argue that this is not for people to decide, but rather for us to uphold, trusting God in the outcome.
Hopefully I have expounded on the argument that other Christians make well enough, although in my mind that does not excuse unloving behavior.
Blessings to you and your family,
Marcie

Untitled Comment

{ 05:32, Tuesday, November 4, 2008 } { Posted by Anonymous }

I think you have missed the point of MY post, Marcie. Our God is a loving God. He knows we are all sinners and while we strive to live our lives as He would want us to, I know he would not want us to condemn others for their beliefs. I know that he feels no differently about a conservative Christian than he does a liberal Christian. We are all God's children. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Cara

God's Love

{ 07:18, Wednesday, November 5, 2008 } { Posted by Hunnicutts }

Hi again, I am trying to promote the loving behavior that God wants us to show EVERYONE...Christian or not. Please re-read the following:
"I struggle with those who cry "peace, peace", but they will not make an effort to befriend their own countrymen WHO THEY MAY NOT AGREE WITH." as well as "
The point of my article was to demonstrate "how quickly we can be to use language and actions that DO NOT SHOW LOVE, but rather promote strife instead of peace. "
Of course God is love. I AGREE WITH YOU. When Christians do not live a life of love towards others (Christian or not) we are not demonstrating who He is as well as how much He loves ALL mankind- enough to die for ALL regardless of where they are in their beliefs. This is my point. Again, I am not saying that God is condemning you as a Democrat or those who claim to be Christians but show unloving behavior. My point is that God is love and wants us to demonstrate his loving kindness just as Christ did as He died for us while we were yet sinners.
I personally do not use the phrase "baby- killing liberals" I wanted to use that as an example of unloving Christian behavior as I have observed some people who have acted that way in the past, just as I have observed people calling those with conservative views "extremists and zealots". These were used to emphasize the point of how UNLOVING this is.

Please feel free to email or better yet, call me personally if you would like to discuss this further. I do not have your current email.
In love,
Marcie

Thanks for this post

{ 10:35, Tuesday, November 11, 2008 } { Posted by inthemeadow }

I so get what you are saying! I've been dealt with on many of these same issues over the recent years. One of the scriptures you posted, though I have read it before probably many times, was very helpful right now for me..thanks:-)

Hello...

{ 10:07, Wednesday, November 12, 2008 } { Posted by wannabeone }

Great post - once again! Wonderfully stated and very well thought out. If I may...I think Cara has dwelt on one small point and has chosen not to "get it." Marcie, you explained everything as well as it could have been, what you were meaning was very well understood.

Thanks so much for sharing.

Blessings, Kim Wolf<><