another thing
I'm putting my witness talk on here from the retreat for ppl who aren't addicted to myspace cuz it's really important to me and says alot about who I am...please read :-D
The truth will set you free is a well-known quote but a lot of people think it means that if you believe in Jesus then that’s all you have to do. But you also have to follow the what the truth is and live your life how God wants you to, which can be really hard in our society.
I recently realized that what makes it harder to be Christian is the way you look at your lifestyle. That’s probably confusing so what I mean is that so many people think that choosing to be like Jesus means choosing to have no freedom. I’ve heard people say “Oh, I don’t want to do that church thing cuz it means I can’t do this and all these other things.” They say they just want to be free and to do what they want to do. But they have it all wrong because in reality they are the ones who aren’t free.
Because so many people have that attitude about what they want to do, it makes it harder for the people who are trying to do the right thing because it makes it seem like our lifestyle is such a hassle and to hard to stick to.
For the longest time I’ve been looking at the way I live my life the wrong way and unfortunately I didn’t realize it until recently. Take drinking for example, for many reasons I choose not to drink. Because of this, I don’t end up hanging out with friends a lot of the times they’re all together. Sometimes I’ve felt like I’m missing out. But I’m not. I’m not missing out on any of these freedoms young people think they have by not getting to drink, smoke, party, or whatever. I’m making it so that at the end of all this< they’re the ones that are missing out.
We shouldn’t feel like we’re being held back because we’re Catholic. Cursing out somebody or swearing when you’re angry isn’t freedom. Dealing with confrontation patiently and kindly is. Wearing the latest style shirt that shows off my cleavage or wearing a bikini is not freedom. Covering up my body but still wearing clothes that are cute and having people notice me for me, that’s freedom.
I’ve learned that having a “freedom” of speech or getting to express yourself “freely” isn’t my definition of free. But it’s the exact opposite. I’m confident that God has this all planned out for me and for you if you decide to let Him and in the end I’m going to be so happy about the decisions I make no matter how hard they can be to live up to during my time here on earth. So I hope that each of you has the courage to do what you feel is right, no matter how much “freedom” your friends are out having because I don’t want to see you do the wrong thing.