Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

I thought I’d do something a little more lighthearted since the last two posts I’ve made certainly were not. And I don’t want to be a downer. 😦 Anyway.

For anyone who doesn’t already know this, I’m a huge geek. I think I’m a pretty cool geek, but a geek all the same. So a lot of the things I get excited about are pretty nerdy. I’ll probably talk about different ones as time goes on, but one of my absolute favorite fandoms is Harry Potter. I. Love. It. I mean seriously, I could talk for hours about it. But I usually don’t. Because that’s not generally acceptable, except with other nerds. I started reading Harry Potter when I was 9. I was 19 when I saw Deathly Hallows Part 2 in theaters. I know it’s so typical of people my age, but yes, I feel like I grew up with Harry Potter. And yes, I did cry during that last movie. Partially because it was sad, but also because finally, after 10 long years of Harry Potter, it was over. No more books, no more movies. I still haven’t been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal, so I still have that to look forward to, but still. The story is done.

Okay, I get that some people might not understand why I’m so obsessed with a children’s story. Except I feel like you don’t understand Harry Potter if so. It’s so much more than the plot line. Rowling addresses so many social issues throughout the books that are completely relevant to our world. The pureblood vs. muggle-born debate is so obviously a way of addressing equality that it can almost be overlooked. But I think this is important. There’s inequality all over the world, and I think it’s our responsibility as human beings to fight inequality. I know that Harry Potter helped show me this.

Hermione helped me find myself. Goodness, I was one of the biggest know-it-alls I’ve ever known. But like Hermione, I’ve met people along the way who helped mellow me out a little (at least I think I’m more laid back about it). Even her physical description was enough like me that I basically thought I was her. Frizzy brown hair? Yup. I got that. One of the things I love the most about her is that she’s actually a female character who exists without any more support from the male characters than the support she gives to them. What I mean is that she’s an equally independent and complex character as any male character. This type of female character doesn’t exist in all of literature, yet here she is in this story.

The chapter in which [spoiler alert if you actually need it/care] Harry is walking to his [kind of] death is quite honestly one of my favorite chapters I’ve ever read. I have no idea what it would be like to actually know that you are about to sacrifice your life for everyone you know and to know that there are so many possible futures that you can never experience. But I’d imagine it would actually be similar to what is described in this chapter. For me it reads as though he is taking in every last bit of the world around him. It pains him to know that he has to leave it all behind, but that’s just it: he has to. And he’s willing to give up his life to save everything. And, yeah, [once again spoiler] he makes it through, but he doesn’t know he’s going to. The sacrifice is real.

I could go on and on about all of these things and more, but ultimately, love is the central message of the story. Love is what triumphs over the evil every time. I honestly can not think of an instance in which love was not the reason for the victory of good. So maybe this is part of why I believe so strongly in love. Love defines us and shapes us. There’s a reason I’ve highlighted 1 Corinthians 13 on this blog. That’s what that verse is about: love. So really, I guess the main reason I love Harry Potter so much is that it’s about love of all kinds. After all, what are we without love?

Yeah, I know I got kind of serious, but it was fun, right? I mean, it’s Harry Potter! And to finish it all, I’ll leave you with this one last quote (be glad I limited myself to only the few I did use).

(Also, I got almost all the images from Pinterest.)

More Than Pretty Faces in a Congregation

Interestingly enough, I started writing this and THEN came across this article which is worth a read. It’s a lot better than my short little blurb, but I’m just trying to write this from my own perspective and his is a bit different, so here goes:

When Christian men, particularly preachers, describe their wives as “smoking hot,” I cringe. I really do. Why, you ask? Isn’t it just a compliment? Well, it’s bad when this is their immediate thought to describe their wives, as though this is what truly matters about who she is. I can not tell you how many times I have listened to a preacher who has been getting ready to start their sermon and one of the first things he does is tell all the young impressionable students listening how “smoking hot” his wife is. Quite honestly, this does nothing to build the kingdom of God, it really serves no purpose in speaking His word. Not only that, but it also perpetuates this idea that the physical beauty of a woman is the most important quality that she can possess.

When a fifteen year old Christian girl hears that, she hears, “I’m a respected male Christian leader, and I love my wife because of her outward beauty.” This then translates in her head to, “Since this Christian leader thinks like this, a man of any background will only love me if I’m physically appealing.” It either leaves her feeling rejected or obsessed with her appearance. I know because it wasn’t that long ago that I was in that place. This kind of value on physical beauty is just so damaging to a girl’s self-esteem. Is beauty really better than kindness or intelligence? Than, quite simply, being a good, caring person? Many facets of our society say so, but where does the Church come down on this? In my experience, there’s been a slight contradiction among leaders. It leaves young Christian women confused. I wish we lived in a Christian community that did not force young women to constantly repeat the mantra of 1 Peter 3:3-4 in order to stop worrying so much about their outward beauty. I’m not saying we shouldn’t use this verse, I’m just saying it shouldn’t HAVE to be used so frequently to comfort women who don’t know how to view their own outward appearance.

I’m not saying we can’t try to look good. I like dressing up periodically. I like feeling pretty. I like getting non-demeaning compliments. I just also like to be appreciated for more than my appearance. So stop perpetuating the issue. If you’re married and want to brag about your wife, please find a way that is not demeaning to do so. If you want to compliment a woman, do so without demeaning her. But never ever let your actions or words suggest that a woman’s value lies in her appearance.