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response/follow up from my easter blog comments

thank u Aunt Robin for sharing that with us.ur experience has def changed my opinion.also,thank u to June and Ben as well.
in response to ur comments tho,it's not tht i dont believe in a higher being,and im not saying tht anything is wrong with being a christian evn tho it sounds tht way.i guess im saying,in general, some parts of religion have been interpreted in ways that i dont agree with.wen i was at my lowest point in my life,i did pray.i have nothing against worshiping God or praying.those are actually  some of the few things tht i agree with.and i have nothing against the Bible.i've never read the bible so i have no place to judge the bible or anything in there...i wish tht my opinion could be viewed without being bias but i guess my view of christianity is also bias.are there any other religious views,besides christianity,tht have an opinion on this topic?christianity is not "right" and everything else is not "wrong". i feel tht if u believe in it,its wats right for YOU,not necessarily for everyone else.as accepting as god may be,should a christian also be accepting of others and their different views on religion?not to understand or believe in wat someone else thinks but to accept it and let thm believe in how they feel.there were many times wen i prayed to God and everything got worse and worse.when i stopped focusing on wat religion i was or who to pray to.if anything,i pray to myself,like a pep-talk kind of thing.
from the time i was 5 up until maybe the 7th grade,i was sexually abused by someone who was supposed to be a role model and family member.i prayed through tht whole time and nothing happened until i stopped praying it would stop,got up and handled it on my own.and some may say tht God gave me the courage to speak up but i dont know that and neither do other ppl.and if He did thn thts wonderful but in my mind,i did it becuz i knew wat was goin on was disgusting and i ddnt want it to go on.after that,my "therapist" i was sent to was telling me i was fine,my dad was treating me like i was a liar,i stopped eating and started cutting myself and i started to desperately seek attention from guys just because my body and my mind basically grew up tht way.and without my parents talking to each other or addressing any kind of issues we ever have,nobody noticed i was miserable and no one ever thot "hmm...sex talk would be nice since shes a little confused about wat sex really is supposed to be like according to this religion tht we've raised her to believe in" so i was eager to WILLINGLY give away my semi-virginity bcuz the first time i lost it,it was not by choice.i had sex,got pregnant,went thru hell stopped eating again cuz i thot i was getting fat.after i had my daughter i was verbally abused by strangers and guys thot i was "easy" and let me kno it...i got pregnant again and was on a mission to get an abortion.i went all the way to tampa and was close to going all the way to atl to get an abortion because no one in fl would i went thru highschool known as the pregnant girl.and yes,it is my fault but if someone told me talking to God was wat i needed to avoid all of tht,i'd doubt it...highly.becus i did.every night i did.and it seemed like everyday got worse and worse.i tried goin to church and i got looked at so nastily tht i left early because it was really strange.i had to get talked into getting my child baptized bcuz i ddnt believe that would save her from men,lies,and humans period.i was baptized and i turned out..."unholy".i lost most of my frends tht were "there for me" before i got pregnant except for maybe one.like i cant even tell u how but they just stopped callin or textin.and yes,i have kids but wen ur in a house where no one speaks to each other unless there's company,it gets hard to rely on conversation with children who think "booty" is a funny word as ur outlet for someone to talk to.call me crazy but i was to the point where i would vent to by dog...not my "dawg" but my 'arf!arf!' dog.just because i ddnt need someone to sit there and tell me wat i should do or what i should believe or where i should go or who i should pray to,i needed someone,i living person,to just listen and hear me out and let me vent.yes i can talk to god but i mean...wen i did,it did as much for me as it would if i were talkin to myself...or my dog.my faith,in my opinion, got me nowhere and when i stopped relying on god to get me through anything and just did wat i felt was needed to get stuff done,i did just fine.and some ppl may think i wasnt believing hard enough but i mean,cummon...i put my all into believing in God and i took some advice from someone who told me to put it in god's hands and tht did not work for me.i dont go to church,i dont read the bible,i rarely ever pray,but i know for sure that im a good person and religion does not define me or my actions,i do.i've come a long way and developed so much emotionally and mentally and ive become a strong person without religion on my mind all of the time.and yea,my home seems normal but id think i grew up in somewhat of a broken home.we al knew each other's names and tht everyone was breathing but thts it.my parents are miserably married and stuck in lives tht they dont like,everything is someone else's fault and the children do all the maintenance, dinner is not a family thing,"bonding" is a joke word in the house and happy is even funnier and me wanting us to be a family was like...a breakthrough in comedic history.like religion alone cannot help me get over how i grew up because i see things differently.we've all experienced different losses and different gains.for those who are religious,do u think u would be where u are today,wat uve experienced in life,who u've met,wat u kno,etc would be the same without ur faith?would u have strength and belief in urself enough to get through ur lows without ur belief in God?why or why not.without guidance from the Bible,would u be able to make it to where u are today based on self determination and will?

5 comments:

  1. Baby I'm so sorry for all ur pain. But I don't feel sorry for u, bc deserve respect not pity. We come from a family of love, hurt and secrets. I'm sad to say not everyone 'gets' the way we love. When lizz and I were coming up we got the special treatment because ppl were pretty sure we were screwed for life. We were bastard kids with unfit moms so we were everybodys kids. I'm sure if it was me or lizz who ended up preggo in high school, no one would have been surprised. I cant speak for lizz but it hurt feeling thrown away, feeling lucky uncle tony offered to buy me a snack cause I didnt have any money, always lucky to be included. But it wasn't like that with god. With him I was blessed and loved no matter what. I wasn't a bastard- he was my father and he listened to me and at night when it was safe to cry, I could swear I felt him take me in his arms. God has always been my father and friend. So religion wasn't an issue. My relationship with god isn't a religion. And urs doesn't have to be either. U don't have to define it, defend it, explain it or anything. Just experience it . Who cares what others think or say. Do u. I'll still love u. And for the record its hard to give things to god. Pain and shame are two bags strong women are very possessive of, but it can be cleansing to acknowledge that uv, done ur best, taken it as far as u could and now u can only wait for him to reveal his will. Then allow urself to breath.

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  2. Hey Deena!
    In response to your blog: I could see why yu don't agre with organized religion b/c there are a lot of hypocrites sitting right in the pulpit. But yu can't let that be an excuse to just do away with Christianity . Just b/c God doesn't respond in a timely manner doesn't mean he doesn't hear your prayers b/c he ALWAYS hears them. For you to have gone through something so traumatic as sexual abuse & not be strung out on drugs or "loose" don't yu think God deserves some credit for that? You graduated highschool with 2 beautiful little girls , have a job , a car to get around in , & a place for yu & ur kids to stay & yu don't think that God heard any if ur prayers? God is more than a "higher power" he's a REAL POWER who never have up on yu when it seem like everyone did. Without him I would have NEVER had the strength to make it to the place I'm at now b/c even wen I THOUGHT He didn't hear me He was right there setting me up for things I NEVER wouldve imagined. & yu really do seem like a great person but at the end of this life it's more than being a good person .

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  3. Thug, drug dealer, kicked out of high school, son of a crack head, armed robber, weed head, gangbanger, and the list goes on. This is what I was before Christ. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I watched my daddy beat up on my mama on a regular basis and he beat up on me, and my lil sister. I can really go on telling you the past stuff but that's the problem; it's past stuff. I tried Islam, I tried humanism and believing that as long as I hadn't killed anyone yet I was alright-not realizing that selling dope was the equivalent of killing someone. I did all of this stuff and one day I tried to take my life but guess who was right there to catch me? You guessed it, God. Then after he rescued me from that I turned my back on him and went back to the streets-right there in Duval by the way, Northside for life!-and joined a for real drug cartel and guess what he rescued me from that also. Then after that I turned my back on him again and started selling dope again, tried to kill my daddy and ended up stabbing my sister, and now I had to face a reality. That no matter how hard I tried to survive by getting high, making money, having sex, or hating everyone around me I was still missing something. That's when I met a group of what I call true Christians people who were very transparent from the start. They didn't judge me, they loved me even though I didn't trust them-the gangster in me-and they took it upon themselves that no matter how much I acted like a thug they were going to show me God's love! This is what I needed and what I wanted so, I accepted Christ. Now, things didn't improve overnight as a matter of fact the same night I accepted him I went home and got my last nickel bag and rolled a fat El. God, didn't turn his back on me-even though I continue to fall short-and now I'm the person that you've met and who married your cousin. You've been through a terrible experience and made it out but there is so much more. It's really unfortunate that we are sometimes given the short end of the stick but I took some time to look back and what I realized was that even when I didn't accept his very existence God was right there. I could have been killed multiple times or went to prison for years but God was right there while I did my dirt and suffered through really messed up times. Christ promised to give me eternal life and abundant life. The eternal part is for later but the abundant part is now. As tough as I was I can truly say that I am stronger now only because of Christ working through me. God loves you and just like he uses the things I went through to make me stronger now he is more than willing to do the same for you. You think you are doing big things now, I didn't expect to live to see 25 and he's completely blown my mind. Remember, true Christians know they're not perfect and they aren't afraid to show you their signs of imperfection. I don't know you that well but I love you all the same and it's not just because I'm married to Joy. Holla!

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  4. Deena you are so beautiful for initiating this dialogue. I love you little sis. I'm reading this and I am glad you are seeking to find your own way. Just like Ben, I tried a lot of faiths, but Christianity in its truest form is just what works for me. :)

    I wish I had more time to respond. have a paper due...

    LS
    p.s. Ben and June bug thanks so much for participating in this conversation. I'm always telling Deena that no matter what circumstances you come from you can create your happiness from anything. So she often times sits the girls down and has "family" meals with them even though no one else in the house is down with that. I applaud her for not being afraid to speak her mind and tell the truth and as family, I am forever grateful that you all have demonstrated to her that her natural inclination to do so is supported other family members who love and care about her. mwah to all of you!! (ha ha, i didn't brush my teeth yet!! lmao)

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  5. My dad, your grandpa use to always tell me. He may not be there wen u want but he's always on time. I know being a teen mother is hard but hey you have beatiful, healthy kids. School may be hard but you are smart enough to get it. Ur family may not be what you dream of but hey you have one. u have had a rough life but did u learn anything on the way. i was in an abusive relationship for years at a very young age i was forced to do things im not at all proud of and at a moment in my life i didnt wanna live. i gave my abuser a gun and begged him to pull the trigger. can u image how much this would have hurt my parents. he pulled the trigger but the gun malfunction. 2 weeks later i joined the military...do u honestly think i got where i am now without God. I truley think without him and wat my parents taught me about Christ I could have easily been a crack head,dead, someone walking around without a soul..I would have missed all the blessing I now have...my family,friends,i love having kids somebody I can teach and show them how good God is. How good it feels to love him and recv his love. there is no greater love than the love of Jesus. I understand how u feel ur parents arent the best but hey tats it. cant get refund like my son told my husband wen I was sick "can u take her back to walmarts get her fix or get another one. We as parents make mistakes. We're human. My oldest son have to check me every now and then,and hey tats ok. I thank my parents and God for my parenting skills.I pray everyday for his help cuz my little one aint no joke. Try not to think about wat u dont have but for wat u do have. Take time and write down all the good and all the not so good. think about if u didnt have ur parents to help u, if u were on your own. Stop and look at wat you have and wats coming. I love u and if u ever need to talk im here my babe.

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