my opinion on opinions

I remember my junior year of high school, which seems like ancient history, anyway, half way through our school year our cheerleading sponsor changed. I don’t exactly remember why, but that’s not the point of my blog. Our new sponsor set us down and had a “heart to heart”. I will never forget her little speech…well part of it anyway. She was accustomed to dealing with teenage girls and all the DRAMA that brought, so she wanted us to know right off that she wasn’t gonna deal with a lot of (fill in the blank) =) Her famous speech contained this little nugget… “Excuses are like butt ho***….everybody has one!” I didn’t realize at the time how profound that was! I have used the nugget myself but have made it a little more “G” rated…replacing the body part with BELLY BUTTONS….I don’t feel my version is as impacting/hilarious, but I use it mainly with my 2 oldest children and the other is not a term I wish for them to repeat!

Well over the years the EXCUSES in our sponsors nugget of advice could really be a fill in the blank…you know like Mad Libs (which I LOVE BY THE WAY)….it could be excuses, opinions, gripes etc.

My focus here is opinions. Opinions are like belly buttons everybody has one! It’s true! Opinions about politics, economy, style, recipes….in fact, isn’t it amazing how stressful Thanksgiving can be just because of OPINIONS…one likes nuts in a dish, the other doesn’t, one likes sweet tea (a blessing of God), the other hates it, one likes hot rolls, the other…WAIT…WHO DOESN’T LIKE HOT ROLLS??? You get the point…

So what do we do? About conflicting opinions I mean. Do we only hang out with those who think just like us? Do we only shop with those who share our same style? Do we only share a meal with those who are as “picky” as we? Of course not! I love the differences of others. Please don’t shrink me by thinking that I consent to all differences, there are things that my friends, family, and acquaintances do that I personally would not do. I have shared my concerns, in love, many times. Not in judgment, IN LOVE, but when I felt led.

That was sort of a side note…sorry, but I wanted to be received correctly.

Opinion Polls have been in the news a lot here lately. Billy and I like to watch Glenn Beck, a syndicated talk show host who basically shares his opinions daily concerning our country and its government. He has an awesome testimony to which he refers “only in America”. We are also faithful Fox News watchers. We usually drift off to sleep watching Hannity & Colmes or Bill O’reilly, and then “Fox and Friends” is what we get ready to in the mornings. But we don’t stop there. We are conservative Americans. And these programs best represent our views. But we also “venture” out…to CNN, NBC, MSNBC and others…why? To see what the main stream media has to say as well. No, we almost always do not agree with what is reported from these stations, but we value the OPINIONS of others…even if they are wrong….HAHAHA…sorry…I had to add that lil funny! Seriously, it is important to be informed, even if you don’t agree. Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe…let me explain.

Several years ago Billy and I were teaching the High School Sunday School class at our church. We were ending our curriculum and asked the students what subject they would like to discuss in the next quarter. One of our students suggested that we learn about different religions, what they believe, their leader(s), and how they differ from Christianity. WOW! That was an amazing quarter! Billy researched several religions and prepared the curriculum from scratch! We discussed the difference between an agnostic and an atheist, how these religions began how they compared and contrasted to our Faith and so forth. It was very interesting and the students really soaked up the information.

Back to my previous statement… “Sometimes in order to know what you believe you must know what you don’t believe” …..as Christians we are monotheistic (believe in only one God), and we believe that our God is the only way. John 14:6. As we studied these other religions, of which we do not follow, the students began asking questions concerning our beliefs. Why do we believe Jesus is the only way? Why are we baptized? With their whys were also “why nots”…. Why don’t we follow a kosher diet? Why don’t we accept writings said to be “holy” that aren’t contained with in the Bible?

This was an awesome, thought provoking time. Yes, we were “focusing” on other beliefs and followings, but in doing so we reinforced our own beliefs.

Some of the best conversations I have participated in have been with someone that I differ with on a subject. Both of us back and forth sharing our thoughts and our reasoning’s, and in the end feeling, alive…SHARPER…. Neither of us may budge a bit, that’s OK…it’s thought provoking! I LOVE IT!

So my challenge… for what it is worth…. don’t be afraid of the opinions of others. By hearing and knowing what you’re not, may help establish what you ARE!