Even When it Sucks

I like to think I'm a pretty positive person. I do my best to look on the bright side, and try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes this can be translated to naivety, but I would rather be sometimes naive than always cynical. Therefore, I strive to look for the sunshine in each situation.

Then, of course, there are the days when it just sucks - and by "it" I don't mean life, because I have it genuinely good. However, sucky days happen to us all, good life or not. You wake up late, there is nothing to pack for lunch, you forgot about that assignment, the traffic is awful, that test is so hard, people walk all over you, and, on top of everything, its raining. It looks different for everyone, but I know you are nodding your head right now and picturing your version of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

Its on days such as these that I am not a very nice person. You may say "Well duh! Bad day equals bad mood! Its expected!", but is that so true? Do inconveniences and annoyances give us license to set aside our cordiality and compassion?

As I travel along in my faith journey, this question presses at my mind. Would Jesus take a day off? Did he ever wrap himself up in a blanket with a mug of tea and post a sign outside the door saying "shove off, I feel crappy and am gonna nap all day"? No. He looked beyond himself to what others needed.

This morning, when I rushed out the door into a cloudy day that felt way too busy, I was very tempted to label it a sucky day and proceed with the appropriate moping. Instead, I took a deep breath, turned on the car radio, and smiled. It didn't feel sincere at first, but by mid-morning I could feel a difference.

I realized that it is only a good day if I make it a good day. It is my choice to look for flaws instead of seeing beauty, to cry rather than laugh, to be irritated rather than amused, to huddle under the eaves instead of dancing in the rain.

This is what I am working on: making it a good day - even when it sucks.

Us Mennonites are Real Hardcore

Its funny how one single word can so drastically change how people view you.

To those around me, I am just another girl: a bit quirky, sometimes loud, energetic, and rather nerdy. Just a girl - until they ask what church I go to. So many times I have heaved a sigh before replying, and then braced myself for the exclamation of "Mennonite?! Really?!". This is often followed by questions somewhere along the line of "So do you drive a car? Why don't you wear a little bonnet-thingy and a skirt? Are you allowed to have a boyfriend?". Even after my practiced explanation of Mennonite vs. Amish, many are confused and even skeptical.

However, out of all the reactions I have experienced, perhaps my favorite was the hesitant query by a girl at my lunch table this semester: "So...at your church...are there any.....hardcore Mennonites?" I paused and held up the "rock out" hand symbol before bursting into laughter. "Hardcore Mennonite"? Really? I went on to explain that the word she was looking for was "conservative", and that yes, there were in fact some people at my church who wore coverings.

The question I am often then confronted with is "Well then what are you?". Since the opposite term is "conservative", I have sometimes declared myself to be a "Liberal Mennonite", but that term carries too many pre-conceived notions and prejudices with it. Thanks to that timid question, I have now found a name for what I hope to become: a hardcore Mennonite.

"Hardcore" is defined as "unswervingly committed; uncompromising; dedicated". These terms describe the faith that I hope to grow and that of many people that I admire.

So, in answer to your question: Yes, there are most definitely hardcore Mennonites at my church.