In which Laura hatches a plan, and talks Duggar

Happy Tuesday!

I LOVE BEARS.

this man is also perfect.

    Remember when I used to post a picture of JarPad every Monday? What in the Sam Heck (see what I did there?) happened? I guess I started posting on Tuesdays and acquired a male suitor. Both valid and legitimate reasons. But I still miss this attractive face.
   

Despite his Keith Urban haircut, I do love this picture.

    Anyway, I loved all of your posts from last week. Mercy, I am beyond happy for you and your new man- maybe we can double-date?

    Rose, I think you should get off of Buzzfeed and do something productive with your life.

    Grace- I am so glad that you are doing well and interacting cool people, and I hope our summers can join together at some point as well.

    Which reminds me: I have a plan.

    And it involves Paper Towns and a piano recital.

    Grace, your senior piano recital is the same weekend that Paper Towns premieres in theaters. So, the obvious plan would be for Rose and I to come to your recital, sleepover at your house and see PT the next day. Of course, we are inviting ourselves over to the Ege household, but this would not be the first time.

    It's an idea. If y'all are okay with it, we shall broach the subject to The Mothers. Let us know what you think!

    ***

    Another thing I wanted to reply to was the Josh Duggar commentary offered by Gracie in her Friday post. This is an issue I have been following surprisingly closely, for someone who tends to pay no attention whatsoever to media and celebrity scandals. If I truly cared about stereotypes, I would worry that as a conservative, homeschooling, Christian family, the Duggars are painting "people like us" in an unattractive light.

    Does it eat me up inside because his accusations make our kind appear to be hypocritical creeps who received an improper and somewhat suppressed sexual education from the church and their home? A little bit. And although what he did was truly awful, it shows a side of the church which I am just coming to understand: being a Christian means you are set apart, but no better than the next guy. Growing up in a conservative, rules-oriented community, I thought I was better than my peers because I never yelled at my parents and wore a purity ring. However, it has come to my attention that we as followers of Christ are of no better character and judgement than our fellow, unbelieving human beings. We are no better, just better off for knowing the Lord.

    I trust the Duggar's word when they say that Josh and the victims received counseling and prayer to overcome the issue. I think it takes a radical form of grace for Josh's wife to forgive him and admire his honesty when he informed her, before they became man and wife, of the issue. Do I believe in a God who loves and forgives His children, regardless of how much they have sinned? Of course I do. Does that make me appear crazy? Absolutely. But I would not be so swept off of my feet by a Redeemer who lets liars and gossips off the hook while condemning rapists and homosexuals. I firmly believe God loves everyone.

    However. Rape is not a joke. Molestation is a serious, confusing issue, and many victims do not register that what happened to them was sexual abuse until years later. And the fact that Josh's parents did not immediately alert the police makes me angry. Being a Christian means that we trust in God for ultimate healing. Because of this, we cannot blatantly disregard the justice system enforced by our country (which was founded on religious values) in order to cover up the darkness of sin.

    It isn't rocket science, folks. Sin that is covered up with more sin creates another sin and does not illegitamize the original sin. Will God still forgive you? Of course. Does that validate your actions? Of course not. We as followers of Christ are called to model our lives after Jesus. Would Jesus have ensured that justice be brought to the rapist (who is being talked to death by the media) and healing for the victims (who are hardly being mentioned)? Absolutely. That is the beginning and the end of the issue at hand.

    If Jesus didn't do it, and the Bible preaches against it, then it is wrong. And it is not our job to judge Josh Duggar- that goes between him and God and the people dragged down with him and the troubling events of his past. What he did was wrong, and in place of judging him, we should pray for him. And pray for the victims, who are not being talked about, most likely for their own privacy. 

    No one is glorifying the actions of those involved. If anything good has come out of this, it is the realization that the Christian life is nowhere near perfect. The only place where perfection is guaranteed is Heaven, our promise and reward for toughing it out in this tangled web called life. And thank the Lord for that, because I am so far from perfection and undeserving of grace. And yet, Christ still loves me, and I cannot thank Him enough for that.

    I feel like I've ranted enough. I swore I wouldn't be one of those bloggers with an annoying, unpopular opinion, but there you go.

    Mercy, I'll hear from you tomorrow.

--Laura :)