Dear Lord,
Thanks for the curve ball last night.... (note there is a bit of sarcasm but not much) I mean after all who better to explain the differences in Church Denominations to my almost 13 year old daughter but me. NOT NOT NOT NOT.... *chuckle* REALLY??? Me explain the differences, the woman who not only did not grow up in a church, any church, but was exposed to some very fierce if not a little one sided theology which made me shy away from organized religion for the majority of my adult life until recently.
So here is how the conversation started:
Genna: Mom what is the difference between Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, and Pentecostal.
Me: Let's start with the similarities first. They all believe that Jesus was the son of God, who died on the cross to absolve us of our sins and was resurrected from the tome. (Halleluahhhh she did not throw in the Jewish religion at this point).
Genna: Ok I get that but what about the differences in what they believe as a church.
This God is where I had to really think. Believe me at 8:30pm on a Thursday night after work, errands, and Church, the only thing going through my mind was the 45 things on my to do list before bed. Dissecting Church Denominations was NO WHERE on that to do list. It was like being caught in school unprepared for a pop-quiz. However the best I could, I explained some of the most common differences very surface level beliefs. Praying all the while that I was not giving her misinformation or being particularly prejudice towards one denomination or another. I did however tell her that we needed to look up the differences together or consult someone that was WAY more qualified than me. (Look out Bishop or Pastor Debbie a Theology conversation may be coming your way soon). Upon reflection of this conversation I realized this was just a lead in to her more pressing and serious issues.
Here I thought the Church Denomination discussion was heavy enough.....
Genna: Mom there is a girl at my school (we will call her Jill) who wears the Pagan star/symbol around her neck. She dresses way different. (I could tell Genna was choosing her words carefully at this point) I can't tell if that is what she really believes or not but I did ask her if that was the pagan symbol. Jill is nice enough but sometimes she just seems angry at the world, and I have another friend (we will call her Amy) who has started hanging out with Jill and I am worried about Amy.
OK WOW..... Curve ball between the eyes....Why can't these conversations come with like a warning light or prep time. Just a little flashing light somewhere that means "Warning Warning Will Rogers, tread carefully your child is about to dump some serious life stuff on you."
We continued this conversation discussing the implications of what Jill wearing, dressing and acting, and what it does truly mean. I explained on the one hand her family may actually believe this way, and if that is the case do not judge what you don't understand. You can choose to believe or not believe but not judge. The more likely scenario however, is that she is probably trying to figure out her way in life and doesn't feel she has an adult that she can turn to. I see so many youth not finding their place or their way and the solution in their eyes is to totally go to the far end of the spectrum and go for SHOCK VALUE. Attention is Attention good, bad, or indifferent. She may or may not have the support system of people who support, love, and direct like you do. Then again she may just think the whole look is cool and doesn't really have anyone to explain what all of it really means or implies. Until you know her full story, look past the cover. It may be the only protection she feels she has. The conversation then turned to Amy, who Genna has known since kindergarten that has started hanging out with Jill.
Genna: Mom Jill comes to school with dyed black hair with Red underneath it looks very very dramatic. I noticed that Amy has decided to dye the tips of her hair blue. Luckily she has dark hair so it just came out as almost Black. I just don't want to see Amy move in that direction.
The working mind of an almost 13 year old girl is amazing. What amazes me most is that my daughter is not so self absorbed in her own little bubble at this age and is actually concerned about the welfare of these two other girls enough to ask me about it. Our conversation continued all the way home discussing the ins and outs of teenage life. The turmoil and tough decisions she will have to make to stay grounded in who the REAL GENNA is and be strong enough in her convictions to stand against opposition while being compassionate enough not to judge the differences of those around her.
God THANK YOU for the opportunity to have that conversation with my daughter. To allow me an "in" to tell her how proud I am of her. How strong her beliefs are and how they will carry her through life with your guidance. Thank you for each and every person you have allowed to cross her path. Those who have shown her your LOVE, STRENGTH, and SUPPORT. Thank you for giving me the ability to have those conversations and giving me the right words to say. To live authentically.
I also thank you for every young person you have allowed to cross my path. I hope and pray in some way I have touched their lives in a positive way. So many of them were not blessed enough to have a strong family unit to rely on. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to provide them with a safe haven at the farm. To let them enjoy the peace, serenity and joy of working with the horses, to enjoy nature as you intended. A place where they can think and talk about life if they choose and not be hindered by the weight of the world around their young hearts and souls.
Thank you for allowing me to be apart of something much bigger and more important than I could ever imagine or achieve on my own.
In Jesus name I pray AMEN.
