I've Invited Some Wonderful Women To Share Their Experiences On Evolutions And Revolutions In Life For

I have such respect for you! You are lovely.

Whaaattt!!?!? Ohmygosh, thank you so much!! You're the absolute sweetest! That means a lot to me :)

Can you please watch the video "rapping for Jesus" and tell me your opinion on it? Thank you!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA just watched it, and I have to say that I always get a kick out of painfully awkward Christian videos. I make fun of myself all the time, because we can be a pretty ridiculous bunch. For example, I love the "Sh*tuff Christian Girls Say" video and quote it aaaaaalll the time hahaha.. "God is love, enough said. Hashtag, BOOM." There was one problem with the "Rappin' for Jesus" video, though. They kept saying that Jesus is their "n****"!! I think it was a misguided attempt to emulate rap culture and slang but really ended up being pretty disrespectful. I would personally NEVER EVER EVER EVER say that word! I know some people who say it, and they're like "I'm just joking" and I'm like "that's not funny." It's made sooo much worse by the fact that they are just. so. white. haha So..yeah. I honestly didn't take it very seriously and therefore found nothing excessively good or excessively bad about it. Except the n-word thing. That's not cool. What did you think of it? :P  Peace and love! -Katherine 

So clever, and so funny!

Fall is here! Cooler weather! Changing leaves! Ubiquitous fake pumpkin flavored baked goods and beverages! And best of all, modest clothes are coming out of the closet! The angels themselves rejoice as long sleeve sweaters emerge and head coverings become standard. Turtlenecks are popular!...

Today is #WorldToiletDay. Did you know 2.5 billion people - 36% of the world’s population - don’t have access to a clean and safe toilet?

Learn how we work with communities around the world to end #opendefecation and provide clean and safe toilets for all: http://uni.cf/1qrPCSk

Supergirl Syndrome

You know that scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where Elizabeth Swan is made to wear a really tight corset and she faints and falls into the ocean because she can’t frickin breathe? That is what the word “perfect” reminds me of. I used to think it was a wonderful compliment, but now hearing someone say “Katherine, I think you’re pretty much perfect” causes quite the uncomfortable constricting of my chest.

My fondest aspiration in life used to be to achieve this state of superhumanity and to evolve into this perfect version of myself that I had created in my head. I loved that Katherine. She was kind, smart, in shape, confident, funny, and pretty. She balanced the academic, professional, spiritual, social and emotional aspects of her life with ease. I wanted to be her. There was just one problem. She didn’t exist. She was an impossible idea.

Curiously, when I discovered that I couldn’t be any more than human (it was a pretty big shock), I began wishing I could be less than human. I perceived all my emotions as weakness and I wanted to get rid of them all. I almost succeeded, I think. Or at least I almost succeeded in hiding my emotions from me and most of the people around me. I liked to think that I was a talented actress and a really good liar. It was really bad for me though.

I’m talking about all of that in the past tense, but I’m still really, REALLY struggling with it. It still really bothers me that I’m not perfect and that I never can be. When someone tells me that they think I’m perfect (which actually happens fairly often, but only because people think it’s more difficult than it actually is to abstain from swearing, drinking and sex), I get very upset because I know that I’m not and I just really don’t like that fact.

I’m telling you all of this because those are my symptoms of the “Supergirl Syndrome”. It’s an insidious disease and it affects most of the women I’m closest with. I’m sure there’s a parallel “Superman Syndrome” that affects guys but I’m not a guy so I’m probably going to be talking mostly to girls on this one. The causes of our affliction are probably a combination of societal pressures and maybe a little bit of hardwired psychology. Who knows. Not me. But I do know that I think many of us feel the need to be all things to all people at all times. We want to defy stereotypes so we have to be everything. We have to be smart AND pretty AND athletic AND popular. I’ve met way too many women who think they aren’t good enough. And I’m tired of it.

Symptoms of Supergirl Syndrome include but are not limited to…

Feelings of inadequacy

Comparing yourself to other girls

The desire to crawl into a hole and hide

The feeling of being under a large amount of pressure

Aversion to the word “perfect”

Emotional unavailability or repression

Academic stress

Athletic stress

Stress in general

Fear of what others think

Doing too much

Anxiety

Eating disorders

Unexplained feelings of guilt

Feelings of self-loathing

Inability to turn down another time commitment 

Inability to admit failure

Inability to cope with failure or mistakes

Extreme reactions to constructive criticism or criticism in general

Feel free to add your own to the list.

Okay so how do we treat Supergirl Syndrome? Is there a cure? I hope so! If not I’m in big trouble. I’m learning that the solution to this problem, as with most problems, is transparency and community. Please be gentle with me here because the advice I’m about to give you is advice that I’m still having trouble in following myself! The two most freeing statements I’ve heard are from my mom and my best friend, respectively. They are as follows:

“It’s no big secret that you’re not perfect. Nobody is under any illusions in regards to your imperfection. So you might as well stop trying.” - My mom (admittedly, it doesn’t sound particularly uplifting, but its stark honesty was what I needed.)

***

“You’re not perfect. But you’re you. And you are way cooler and more beautiful than the idea of a perfect you could be.” - Sarah

I’m learning that the best things we can do for each other are to be honest with each other and to invite others to be honest with us. It actually had a far bigger effect on me than I could have predicted when one of my friends simply said to me “I’m here for you if you need to talk or anything.” It was so simple but it was like he gave me permission to need another human being. Your friends really do love you and they really are there for you. Being honest with them is one of the best things you can do for yourself. And it encourages other people around you to be honest as well. I think opening up a dialogue is such an easy thing to do but it makes such a big difference. Just make sure it’s a dialogue of love, not judgment.

All of this stuff sounds so obvious when I type it out in black and white. However, I’m the girl who, when asked what might happen if I tried to be more open with people, answered “the world will fall apart.” I was mostly joking but I was a little bit serious. So if you’re anything like me, I think it’s possible that you might need a reminder sometimes.

This is our reminder: we’re not perfect. We never will be. We can’t be. But that’s okay because who we are is better than perfection. And being open and honest and understanding makes a big difference. It makes more of a difference than we think it will.

Okay, that’s all. Love you guys! Peace and love! -Katherine

What is your opinion on abortion? Especially in cases where consummation was due to rape?

Basically, “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” - Horton Hears A Who, Dr. Seuss. 

If you’re super curious, you can read this blog post by someone I admire greatly, pastor and theologian John Piper. I think that through some miracle, as soon as the sperm unites with the egg, no matter how you break it down to the molecular level, that’s a new person. I don’t think that it’s part of the mother’s body, because each new cell being formed contains a full complement of DNA that is made up of DNA that comes from two separate people and not just from the mother. The DNA in each of those cells codes for a hair colour, an eye colour, a height and a gender. It’s the unique DNA of a person who is an entity unto themselves. And as a Christian, I don’t believe that any human has the right to decide when any other human should die. To me, that child inside of me (hypothetically) is a human. God makes each and every single one of us special and beautiful and He loves us individually. There are verses in the bible that tell us that He knows us before we’re born, that His eyes saw our unformed bodies (Psalm  139:16). Like I said before, if God said it, that’s a good enough reason for me. In the ‘traditional’ (for lack of a better word) case, the sex was consensual but unprotected, resulting in an unwanted pregnancy. Let’s use suspension of disbelief and operate in a theoretical world for a minute here.  In such a case, some might say that it’s the woman’s “choice” to have an abortion. You know what I think is a choice? Having sex. Even past that, you know what else is a choice? Using a condom. In today’s western society, there is NO EXCUSE for an unwanted pregnancy. We have the technology and we have the education. If you don’t want to get pregnant, you don’t have to. Any kid can waltz into planned parenthood and get birth control without their parents even knowing. HOW!? I ask you, do people still manage to get pregnant “accidentally”? So for me, once you’re pregnant, you’ve already made your choice, and now you have to face the consequences. Okay, now we have to face the situation where sex was not a choice, and conception was due to rape. Obviously, I have never been in this situation and hopefully never will, but you never know. That’s why I’ve already decided that abortion is never an option for me. I don’t care what you say, I honestly can’t even consider the thought of killing the baby inside of me (hypothetically). It’s not even just an intellectual, religious standpoint. Whether this adds to the validity or not, it’s also a highly emotional standpoint. I CANNOT think of killing that child. Cause here’s the thing. It’s not the child’s fault. And if we’re still operating on the assumption that that’s a real PERSON, we can’t kill him or her for someone else’s crime. Also, just so you know, many women who have been raped, gotten pregnant and had an abortion, said that the abortion was more invasive and traumatic than the rape. AND many women who have been raped, gotten pregnant and had the baby, said that having the baby was cathartic in a way, and helped them see something positive that came from such a negative experience, and thereby helped with the healing process. I’ve heard girls say that they would never have an abortion unless they were raped. And I’m like “hold up now,” cause is that like it’s murder most of the time, unless you were raped, then it’s not murder? Like, whut? See to me, abortion is either always wrong, or not. And to me, it’s always wrong. To reiterate, this is my opinion. And I’m working with abstract ideas and concepts here. That’s how I think best. I’m just trying to give you an idea of my worldview as it pertains to a philosophical issue. As I’ve said before, and will say again, no decision you have ever made, whether it be different from my decisions or not, will change my opinion of you. 

 Jesus said that the most important commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (okay, cool, makes sense) BUUUTTT….the SECOND most important commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-31) And there are entire chapters of the bible devoted entirely to the importance of loving people (1 Corinthians 13) So! Here are the facts: 

Fact Number 1: Jesus loves you. Like, He really, REALLY loves you. Deeply, passionately, intimately, overwhelmingly. He loves you enough to die for you. He loves you so much that He DESPERATELY wants to have a personal relationship with you - to talk to you, to hear your thoughts and to walk with you through this life. Fact Number 2: I love you. I think that every single person in the world deserves to be loved and deserves to be respected simply due to the fact that you are a person and God made you and loves you. Okay, so now we’ve established that Jesus loves you and I love you, for no other reason than the fact that you’re alive, and no matter what. That cannot be altered, edited, ignored, abated, cancelled out, destroyed or denied. 

^That’s like my mantra of life, you guys. And nothing changes it. If you are reading this, and you are someone who has had an abortion, obviously I’m not in your shoes, I don’t have your life, and I don’t know your situation. And I will NEVER EVER judge you. I’m just talking about my choices, which are a completely personal thing. Peace and love! -KatherineP.S. I’m answering all these questions on the assumption that they come from good-natured curiosity, and that you genuinely want to know what I think. I don’t want to spark debates, and I definitely don’t want to participate in them. I’m not into arguing about my faith. P.P.S If I ever offend you or hurt you by something I write, please let me know. I know that I sometimes speak (or write) without thinking. I’m trying to be honest, but gracious, and I might accidentally say something dumb sometime. If I do, let me know and I will definitely apologize and do my best to repair any damage. I’m gonna put my email address in the blog description so you can contact me privately if you want. 

Can God call me to be an exotic dancer?

Dancing is an absolutely beautiful art form which can totally be used for ministry. HOWEVER imma go ahead and assume that when you say "exotic dancer" you mean it as a euphemism for "stripper". I wanna be all saucy and brush you off but...Here's the thing.God is so not into disrespecting yourself and your body. You do realize that He made you right? That He "knit you together in your mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13). He twisted together chains of deoxyribose nucleic acid with his bare fingers. He personally designed every physical trait you have. Your body is His masterpiece. And He is so not down with you using your body to incite lust. He is so not down with random men undressing you with their eyes because you're so much more than that! You're beautiful and perfect and made in the image of God! So....haha no. I don't think God's gonna call you to be an exotic dancer. I know you were just being a sauce-pan but it's not a topic I take lightly. So I am taking this opportunity to remind you, and everyone, to love and respect yourself and your body. And on a sidenote, I do not appreciate your attempts to twist my words and trap me into saying something I'll regret. That is very pharisee-esque of you. As in when the pharisees were trying to get dirt on Jesus so they could arrest him. And boy did they get BURNED! Food for thought. (Don't make me turn off the anon option!) Peace and love!-Katherine 

"I think that if you're a half decent person, you'll get into heaven."

So guys I was thinking today: 

If someone says they're a Christian and then they look at me and they're like "I just think that if you're a half decent person you'll get into heaven." .... I honestly have to wonder if they've read the bible. The phrase you just uttered undermines the entire foundation of Christianity. You can't "get into" heaven by being a "good" person.

I mean, first of all, NO ONE is a good person. We're human. We're imperfect. We're mortal. And by default, we are literally incapable of being truly good. I mean, you can be alright and not like, kill people and stuff. But how do you define sin? I mean, where's the line between good people and bad people? Can you still be a good person if you've held a grudge against someone, judged someone or lied? Cause see, all sin is equal in the sight of God. There are no degrees of sin to God. It's a yes or no question. Have you or have you not done something that is not of God? The answer will always, irrefutably be yes. Romans 3:23 says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

And so...and this is very important, so listen up...if you could "get into" heaven by being a good person, Jesus would never have had to die on the cross. 

So if you believe that you can get into heaven by being a good person, I guess you believe that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely meaningless. And if Jesus Christ, being fully God, stepping into a mortal body, bearing the weight of all the sins of all the people who ever were and are to come, going to Hell, stealing the key and coming back to life to give you eternal life means absolutely nothing then what do we even believe in? 

Do you get the fact that Christianity is ALL ABOUT God reconciling the separation between sinful man and perfect deity? Do you realize that that is literally EVERYTHING that we believe in? 

Don't get it twisted: I'm not telling you that you're a bad person. I'm not telling you that you can't get into heaven. I don't think that I'm better than you and that I'm going to heaven and you're not. Because believe me, I am acutely aware of my own deficiencies. I KNOW how much I need grace. I'm just telling you that we are all human, and we all need Jesus if we wanna go to heaven. If you don't wanna go to heaven, well..I can't help you. :P

Lots of love :) Peace y'all! -Katherine