Lent Day Twenty Seven - Books and their Covers

What does a Christian woman look like?

One day,  a couple of years ago, when my kids first started attending their new Christian high school, we were having a conversation about Christians.  One of my kids told me I was not a Christian and when I asked him why he thought that he said “because you don’t wear sweaters and khaki pants, and you listen to rap music.”

Hmmm….all this time I thought being a Christian had something to do with Jesus.

It is true that in my car, my Mark Driscoll bible study CD’s are sandwiched between Eminen and Jay-Z and I prefer Express to Land’s End for my wardrobe, but does that mean I don’t know God?

As I have come to truly appreciate God’s loving nature over the last few weeks, I have also learned to be a little kinder and gentler to myself.  In the past, I have felt uncomfortable in Christian circles, feeling somewhat of an outsider because I know my lifestyle, my choice of activities doesn’t necessarily reflect what I see in their lives.

But God has created us as individuals.  I would imagine He would be quite bored looking down at the billions of His children only to see the same thing over and over again.  My friend Lori has taught me to embrace myself and doing that requires a level of self acceptance.   And feeling confident enough to know that God created me with certain gifts, certain qualities and traits that may be different. 

I’m learning that He wants me to celebrate those differences.  So while some keep their brains sharp by doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku, I will stick to my preference of memorizing the lyrics to as many Eminem songs as I can.  But out of respect for others and their differences, I will lower the volume as I enter the church parking lot.