A Katie's-Eye View

The World the Way I See It

Archive for category truth

Re:action

Aug 4

Posted by Katie in American, Dallas, life, truth, world | No Comments

Not too long ago, I visited the Dallas Holocaust Museum. This place is a really amazing reminder of the atrocities that humans can commit, and I was really moved by my experiences. While I was there, I saw a small fraction of artifacts from the Warsaw Ghetto, the death camps, and the freedom fighters. The exhibit focused on one day in the history of the Holocaust, and at the end, we were shown a film of real testimony from Dallas-area survivors. I even got to meet a survivor, which was pretty humbling.

This experience really got me thinking of the way that we always say “never again,” although similar circumstances are all around us in other parts of the world. Sure, the global scene is a little different now, and six million Jews are not being systematically murdered. I’ll give you that. But, I ask you to consider the terrible things that happened in Rwanda. Consider the things that are happening even today in Sudan. Consider the newest crisis, the ongoing ethnic cleansing in Kyrgyzstan. Each of these situation is a tragedy, but there is, perhaps, a greater tragedy–these crises are merely the tip of the iceberg. People all over the world are being subjected to terrible things that, as Americans, most of us cannot even fully comprehend.

I do find hope in this world, though. A friend of mine sent out a note asking people to learn more about the situation in Kyrgyzstan. NGO’s around the world are drawing attention to the dilemmas faced by women and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. People are volunteering to go abroad in order to serve the defenseless. I love this. I love that even though not everyone can go work in a refugee camp, there are so many who are willing to do what they can. There is a need today, I think, to know what is going on in the world. To be informed. To do something. This is the key–as long as people aren’t silent about the terrors millions of people face, there is hope.

At the Holocaust museum, the overarching theme was the terrible crime of being a bystander, and the incredible importance of being an upstander. I urge all of you to take action. Speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. It’s the least you can do, and I am sure that if they could tell you, they would say that it means more than you could ever know.

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Blessings

Feb 9

Posted by Katie in God, dream, honesty, life, love, mission, truth, world | 1 Comment

Sometimes, I feel like life is a real challenge. Then I remember how blessed I am. Even on the days where I’m sick and have to go to the doctor for the third time in two weeks, I realize that I have it so. good. There are people right now in Dallas who only wish they could go to the doctor for their sicknesses. That’s just in Dallas. There are people all over the world who have never been to see the doctor. Who have never imagined the day that they will be healthy. I am blessed.

There are days when I have to take a test after feeling like I’ve learned very little on the subject. On those days, I try to remember that I am getting a college education while there are little girls around the world who would cry tears of joy at being told they are allowed to go to school for the first time in their lives. I am blessed.

There are days when I feel like I don’t want to get up and go to work, when all I want to do is stay at home and read. I am so blessed to have a job I like, much more so to have a job at all.

On days when wedding planning overwhelms me, I realize that I am blessed in getting to have a wedding where I not only know the groom, I love him and he loves me. Many women around the world are denied this pleasure. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

I do not claim to know why I am blessed with all of these things and why others are suffering daily, but I do know that I want to help them. Where women, girls, men and boys are denied these blessings, I want to be the one God uses to help them. I know that God created me for this reason–to share his love and blessings with those around me and those across the globe. I can’t save the world, I know. But I can most definitely try to make one little difference. That is my goal. Make a difference.

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Considering Lilies

Dec 13

Posted by Katie in God, truth | 3 Comments

Finals are this week. Another semester is over, practically before it started, it seems. I cannot believe that next semester is my last full semester. After that, it’s one summer semester, and then…real life. :) / :(

I seriously go between feeling super excited about the future (I’m getting married in 300 days!!!!!) to kinda worried (what will life be like after school? What will I do? Where will I live?). It’s been a semester full of rollercoastering (it’s a word(now)) emotions. I’ve had some of the happiest moments in my life to date, but then again, I’ve had some moments where I felt like the only thing I could be sure about after I graduate is that I’m getting married. And that’s all. Really, I’m getting worried about my future about one year in advance. Lame? Yes. Unnecessary? Yes.

Although I’m anxious to know what the future holds after I graduate next August, when I really sit back and think about it, I’m not worried at all! I’ve got the best insurance in the world in God, and I’ll be starting the best chapter of my life thus far. I have nothing to worry about. Not where I’ll live, not what I’ll eat, not what I’ll wear. Jesus says:

“Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” Luke 12:27-31, NASB

So whenever I start to think about the way that I have never before stepped into such an unknown, I’ll consider the lilies.

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Opened Eyes

Oct 27

Posted by Katie in human trafficking, truth, world | 1 Comment

In my advanced written communication class, we were asked to write a commentary/editorial on an issue that is important to us. I chose human trafficking. In my research, I learned so much, but I feel as if I have so much more to learn. I barely scratched the surface, but I learned that there are 27,000,000 slaves in the world today. Isn’t that astonishing? In a time when the world is becoming more an more modern, there are still people bought and sold every day. Even here in America. I learned that the average price of a slave is $90. That Asia and Africa have the biggest markets for the buing and selling of humans, and that the majority of the workers on chocolate plantations in Africa are slaves.

There can be slaves who are captured walking down the street and forced into working, who are promised a better life and then forced into prostitution, and who are sold off to pay their family’s debt. This happens in Dallas, in LA, in China, in Russia. All over the world. Fortunately, there are organizations dedicated to ending slavery. Free the Slaves, Not for Sale and Stop the Traffik all have excellent programs and materials.

I am definitely going to continue researching this topic, and I am going to get involved in stopping human trafficking. Because once you know it’s out there, how can you not?

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A Statement Worth Making

Feb 23

Posted by Katie in God, life, love, prayer, truth | 2 Comments

This is my personal statement of what I believe. It is really quite lengthy, and most definitely incomplete. It is, however, the best I can do. Leave me your thoughts if you would like to do so. :)

Let me give you some background. I was not raised in a Christian home. I didn’t start going to church until I was in eighth grade, and even though I accepted Christ in fifth grade, I didn’t know what that really meant until ninth grade. I have since seen many people in my family come to church for the first time or return to church after a long absence in the past several years. I attend Dallas Baptist University, where my faith is strengthened and challenged just about every day. In no way am I a saint, and in many ways, I am a sinner. Without Jesus, I would be nowhere.

My faith is the most important thing in my life. Call me crazy if you want, because I am okay with that. I love Jesus with all my heart because he has done so much for me. Seriously, I don’t want to know where I would be right now and what I would be doing if I didn’t have Jesus to guide me. He is the only one who is always there for me no matter what, the only one whom I can trust entirely, the only one that I can depend on when times are good and when they are bad.

I struggle most days to do what I am supposed to do as a Christian. I mean, I genuinely have a hard time loving my neighbor at times. I have lied, been completely lazy and entirely too eager to skip church to get more sleep. When I see someone in need, I too often turn a blind eye. These things aren’t that bad by the standards of the world, but I know I am made to do better. But no matter what I do, I know that at the end of the day, God is there to love me. Because Jesus died for my sins (yours, too), I can confidently rest in knowing that no matter how many times I screw up, I am loved. Isn’t that amazing?

There are things that I love about going to church. For one, I get the chance to praise my amazing God with other people. There is just something about being surrounded by people who feel the same way you do about God and who want to praise him, too. Another thing I find fascinating is the great support system I have. When I was in my youth group at home, I had lots friends, but I wasn’t really involved, and didn’t form many deep bonds. A few, but not many. There are people that I know will be a part of the rest of my life, though, and I am so thankful for them. Now, I’m considered a “college kid”/ adult, and I have a lot of good relationships with really godly adults who can teach me a lot about life and Christ through their example. Having them to turn to when I need to makes a world of difference in my life.

The Bible is way cool. No bones about it, I really look forward to seeing what God has to say. I try to read a chapter every night of whatever book I’m working my way through, and to be honest, I can go nights and nights without any big revalations. But sometimes, just when I need something, God gives it to me. Example? Okay, glad you asked. The night before I go to Korea for a week, I ask God to give me something to hold on to while I’m there. I’m reading Isaiah, and he gives me a verse in chapter 56 that says “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” One of the most important things I learned/experienced on that trip was that God moves in such big ways across cultures nothing like ours. Another example for you is this: I was discouraged about how a ministry I am involved wasn’t exactly going the way I wanted it to, and I felt like it was never going to get better. God’s answer? 2 Corinthians 4:1. “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” I’m telling you, God speaks through the Bible.

Another important thing is prayer. I will be the first to admit that I am not very good at praying solemn prayers. My mind tends to wander and I just find myself thinking of what I need to do next week, and wondering if I can learn how to make enchiladas. Instead, I prefer to just talk to God. Tell him what I’m thinking and feeling, ask him things, just omment in general. He doesn’t really talk back, so it’s not really a conversation so much as a verbalized (in my head) letter. I really feel close to God during these times. Especially in the mornings walking to class when I can see his wonderful creation all around me. Nature is a big connecter between God and myself. Listening to birds singing or a flowing river, seeing a beautiful flower or sunset, I am so at peace.

Sure there are some things that I definitely have a hard time with when it comes to politics. It is so very difficult to know where to draw the line at what I believe is right and should be made law and what I believe is morally wrong, but can find no legal basis for denying. I am against abortion unless the mother will die, or in cases of rape and incest. I do not believe that a woman has the right to chose. However, while I personally do not support gay marriage and would not vote for it, I cannot vote against it, either. I think that it is a desicion that is best left up to the states. I definitely subscribe to the view that we can hate the sin (as we should hate all sin), but we must love the sinner. As long as we remember that no person is better than another person, we’re on the right track.

I don’t want to shove my personal views down anyone’s throat. After all, you have a right to believe what you wish. My objective, then, is to be able to present to everyone (with love) my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the only one who saves. I may argue my views with you in a civilized way if we don’t agree, and you can argue yours with me. All I want to to is tell the world about Jesus. It is entirely up to the world how they take the news and what they do with it. I think this is fair.

I strive to live my life for Christ, to fulfil the plan that I know God has for me. Knowing what I know, how can I do less?

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Honestly

Nov 5

Posted by Katie in God, prayer, truth | 1 Comment

Warning: This post will be an honest one, and may offend some people. If you would rather not feel offended because you can’t handle it, feel free to tune in next time.

Okay, I’ve had it. I am sick and tired of all the Facebook statuses that now say something to the effect of “Obama is not my president,” and “I hate Obama, he is a Socialist who will ruin America,” and “Obama is the Antichrist.”

As a student at DBU, it doesn’t surprise me that people have, in the past week, begun praying intensely for God’s will to be done with regard to the election and the direction in which our country is headed. I not only support this, I encourage it wholeheartedly. We should pray for our leaders and our nation every single day.

However, I vehemently disagree with those who have proudly proclaimed to be praying for the will of God in this election and who are now complaining at its outcome. To me, this is evidence of a very serious lack of faith in God’s ability to correctly decide just who it is he would have lead us for the next four years.

How can you honestly claim to have desired God’s will when, as you see the results of the election, you assume that his will hasn’t been done? 1 John 5:14-15 states that “this is the confidence we have in approaching God:that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.” That is pretty clear to me. What Christian can honestly say that after all of the honest and fervent praying for God’s will to be done through this election, God’s will hasn’t been done. He has heard us, and “we have what we have asked of him.”

Therefore, let us continue to ask for God’s will and guidance in the affairs of our nation. Let us pray for the man who was elected president tonight in accordance with our requests for God’s will to be done in this election. Let us be a people of true faith who do not balk when we discover that God’s will and our will are not always perfectly aligned.

As We Wind Down

Nov 3

Posted by Katie in American, Election, respect, truth, voting | 2 Comments

Ok, so the election is upon us. After around 2 years of “My opponent believes…” and “I promise you…”, we are down to the final stretch. Now is the time for last ditch efforts, get out the vote campaigns and long lines at your local polling place. “I Voted” stickers are everywhere, polls are being conducted every ten minutes and the pundits are going crazy.

Everyone has election fever. People are getting defensive about their positions, defensive to the point of forgetting who their friends are. Why is this? Why would you alienate the people you know in favor of some guy who will likely never know you exist? It is definitely important to have political views, and to be able to defend them well, but there needs to be a line somewhere. When intelligent debate turns into belligerent spewing of rhetoric, there is a problem. Not only does this make you appear to be uneducated, it also causes your friends to feel like a normal conversation with you is no longer possible. Passion is good, but only if it has a direction to it. Use your strong feelings for your candidate of choice in a good way, not one that turns people off.

Keep in mind how important it is to be fair to each candidate. Don’t spread around things about either candidate, good or bad, without first checking the facts. Snopes.com and factcheck.org are great places to start. Don’t believe every forward you read, or every voting guide you are handed. Don’t believe everything people tell you, but instead do your own research.

And, no matter what happens tomorrow at the polls, remember this: no matter who wins, whether you agree with him or not, he deserves your respect as the leader of your nation. If you don’t like it, feel free to say so, as long as you voted. You can join in with other people in voicing their dissatisfaction by campaiging for change in the next available election. Use your voice in a positive way rather than just complaining. If your man wins, celebrate, but not to the point of being obnoxious. We are all Americans, created equal, worthy of respect.