This was originally not going to be my next post, but seeing as how negative pretty much all of my social media feeds have been over the past few days made me want to write about this now. See, this song was originally done by Alessia Cara and it's all about body image and loving yourself. No matter what the rest of the world thinks.
This is an important message these days. Especially lately. I'll be honest and admit that it annoys me that I feel a need to write about this because it shouldn't be this way. But it is. Denying that truth changes nothing. I never wanted to get political on my blog and I'm not. Not exactly. But right now the country is in a state of turmoil. The election is over and the hate is flowing. Friendships are ending because apparently learning someone voted differently than you did means that you're all of a sudden some kind of evil person. At least that seems to be the implication. As if they suddenly aren't the same person that they've always been. And let's make something clear - there is hate to be found across the board. Honestly, I've been struggling the past couple of days. See, I've seen comments who think that people like me should kill themselves. Because of how we voted. It got me thinking about how quick we are to turn on one another.
Not just in regards to politics, either. These days it seems like no one can have a different opinion about anything without having someone jump down their throat. I've seen people suggest that if people didn't like a certain song, they should hurt themselves. Take a second to process that: in this culture, there are people who would wish harm on another person for having different musical preferences. It's horrible and heartbreaking. Especially considering all of the people out there who already feel badly about themselves. Who already don't feel like they're worth it. Who don't feel valuable or beautiful. People who do, in fact, end their lives because they couldn't take it anymore.
Y'all. We need to be better than this. We need to do better than this. We'd all be a lot better off if everyone could admit that not everyone on their side is a saint. And not everyone on the other side is a villain. As Sirius Black told his godson in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us." It's true.
Here's the thing: I know some wonderful people who voted for Trump. And some wonderful people who voted for Clinton. Some voted third party and maybe some didn't (or couldn't) vote at all. It doesn't automatically make them bad people. I know nice people of all races. Sweet people from different social classes. There's wonderful people who listen to country music and wonderful people who hate it - or any genre. Look, I get being frustrated or angry. I understand the urge to lash out without thinking and have done it myself. I am very much including myself when I say that we need to do better. I need to do better. Lately, I've been making a point of praying for the people who are being hateful. Admittedly, there are times when I have to force myself to do so. It's hard to do sometimes. In fact, there's times when I lash out despite my best efforts not to.
You know what though? While I always feel bad for jumping down someone's throat, you know what never makes me feel bad? Praying for that person. Sure, the prayer may start with gritted teeth but then it turns into something else. As a Christian, I believe that we are all made in God's image. And that alone gives us value. That alone makes us beautiful. It's amazing what remembering that can do. It can seriously change everything. You know what else? Odds are that the most hateful people need prayer the most.
So my challenge to anyone reading this is to do better. To understand that we all matter and to not be so quick to attack. To take a moment to just breathe before responding. To say a prayer for the person you disagree with. Or, if you don't pray, to try to find something good in them. Because there's good to be found in just about everyone. Sometimes you have to look harder than others, but most of the time, it's incredibly easy. Maybe take it one step further and make a point of saying something kind to that person instead. To see their beauty, even among their scars (or what you perceive to be their flaws).
And to that person reading this who has been hurt over the past few days (or however long). That person who doesn't feel loved or enough or beautiful. Know that you are. You are loved. You are enough. You are beautiful. Never let anyone else make you feel like you don't matter because that's simply not true. You do matter. No matter how you voted. No matter where you live or what you do. No matter what you look like. You matter. You were created for a purpose. Your worth comes from above; not from other people. You are beautiful and you are valuable. Believe that.
Now, that all said. Here's Evynne Hollens with some musical encouragement.
Oh, what can I say about Evynne Hollens that I haven't already said? Not only does she have a beautiful voice that I love listening to, she has a beautiful heart as well. I love that she not only decided to cover this song, but for featuring the Oregon Girl's Choir. Not going to lie: the ending teared me up. With all the ways the world tries to tear everyone down, it's great to hear some of these girls talk about what they love about themselves.
We're not so different from these girls. We all have things about us that are worth celebrating and it's important to remember. Especially in times like these. My hope for these girls is that they can hold onto those things when people try to make them feel inferior. That we would all do that. Have your opinions. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for seeing things differently. To that end, recognize that that other person is allowed their opinion as well. Remember that it is possible to talk about differences of opinion without resorting to personal attacks. Understand that just because someone has a different preference or political affiliation, it doesn't mean you have to hate them. It really doesn't. People are more than who they vote for. Remember that.
Evynne sounds great in this, as usual. It's another great arrangement by Nathan Alef. Thank goodness we have people like them putting out content like this. Because it's more than nice to listen to, it's a light in a sea of darkness. I feel uplifted every time I watch this and I hope that you do too.
Keep up with Evynne here:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Patreon
This is an important message these days. Especially lately. I'll be honest and admit that it annoys me that I feel a need to write about this because it shouldn't be this way. But it is. Denying that truth changes nothing. I never wanted to get political on my blog and I'm not. Not exactly. But right now the country is in a state of turmoil. The election is over and the hate is flowing. Friendships are ending because apparently learning someone voted differently than you did means that you're all of a sudden some kind of evil person. At least that seems to be the implication. As if they suddenly aren't the same person that they've always been. And let's make something clear - there is hate to be found across the board. Honestly, I've been struggling the past couple of days. See, I've seen comments who think that people like me should kill themselves. Because of how we voted. It got me thinking about how quick we are to turn on one another.
Not just in regards to politics, either. These days it seems like no one can have a different opinion about anything without having someone jump down their throat. I've seen people suggest that if people didn't like a certain song, they should hurt themselves. Take a second to process that: in this culture, there are people who would wish harm on another person for having different musical preferences. It's horrible and heartbreaking. Especially considering all of the people out there who already feel badly about themselves. Who already don't feel like they're worth it. Who don't feel valuable or beautiful. People who do, in fact, end their lives because they couldn't take it anymore.
Y'all. We need to be better than this. We need to do better than this. We'd all be a lot better off if everyone could admit that not everyone on their side is a saint. And not everyone on the other side is a villain. As Sirius Black told his godson in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us." It's true.
Here's the thing: I know some wonderful people who voted for Trump. And some wonderful people who voted for Clinton. Some voted third party and maybe some didn't (or couldn't) vote at all. It doesn't automatically make them bad people. I know nice people of all races. Sweet people from different social classes. There's wonderful people who listen to country music and wonderful people who hate it - or any genre. Look, I get being frustrated or angry. I understand the urge to lash out without thinking and have done it myself. I am very much including myself when I say that we need to do better. I need to do better. Lately, I've been making a point of praying for the people who are being hateful. Admittedly, there are times when I have to force myself to do so. It's hard to do sometimes. In fact, there's times when I lash out despite my best efforts not to.
You know what though? While I always feel bad for jumping down someone's throat, you know what never makes me feel bad? Praying for that person. Sure, the prayer may start with gritted teeth but then it turns into something else. As a Christian, I believe that we are all made in God's image. And that alone gives us value. That alone makes us beautiful. It's amazing what remembering that can do. It can seriously change everything. You know what else? Odds are that the most hateful people need prayer the most.
So my challenge to anyone reading this is to do better. To understand that we all matter and to not be so quick to attack. To take a moment to just breathe before responding. To say a prayer for the person you disagree with. Or, if you don't pray, to try to find something good in them. Because there's good to be found in just about everyone. Sometimes you have to look harder than others, but most of the time, it's incredibly easy. Maybe take it one step further and make a point of saying something kind to that person instead. To see their beauty, even among their scars (or what you perceive to be their flaws).
And to that person reading this who has been hurt over the past few days (or however long). That person who doesn't feel loved or enough or beautiful. Know that you are. You are loved. You are enough. You are beautiful. Never let anyone else make you feel like you don't matter because that's simply not true. You do matter. No matter how you voted. No matter where you live or what you do. No matter what you look like. You matter. You were created for a purpose. Your worth comes from above; not from other people. You are beautiful and you are valuable. Believe that.
Now, that all said. Here's Evynne Hollens with some musical encouragement.
Oh, what can I say about Evynne Hollens that I haven't already said? Not only does she have a beautiful voice that I love listening to, she has a beautiful heart as well. I love that she not only decided to cover this song, but for featuring the Oregon Girl's Choir. Not going to lie: the ending teared me up. With all the ways the world tries to tear everyone down, it's great to hear some of these girls talk about what they love about themselves.
We're not so different from these girls. We all have things about us that are worth celebrating and it's important to remember. Especially in times like these. My hope for these girls is that they can hold onto those things when people try to make them feel inferior. That we would all do that. Have your opinions. Don't let anyone make you feel bad for seeing things differently. To that end, recognize that that other person is allowed their opinion as well. Remember that it is possible to talk about differences of opinion without resorting to personal attacks. Understand that just because someone has a different preference or political affiliation, it doesn't mean you have to hate them. It really doesn't. People are more than who they vote for. Remember that.
Evynne sounds great in this, as usual. It's another great arrangement by Nathan Alef. Thank goodness we have people like them putting out content like this. Because it's more than nice to listen to, it's a light in a sea of darkness. I feel uplifted every time I watch this and I hope that you do too.
Keep up with Evynne here:
Website
YouTube
Patreon
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