What a surprise ?

[kimlovescats]

The only thing I even care to post at this point is to dear Laura! Laura, I would never want to hurt you, and I in no means have tried to today. I have always valued your opinions, your friendship and enjoyed all of your posts. I am far from perfect, and I have sin in my life daily, as I always have and will have. NONE of us is perfect, nor ever shall be! I try my hardest to live by example, but because we are human and therefore FAR from perfect, that is hard to do.

There are things in my life today that I see my daughter repeating, even after I have tried to show her how devastating they have been for me ... yet she still has chosen the same sinful path. It is very difficult to raise a family these days, in this society, in this world. We live in a sin-filled world, and no race, religion, or gender is immune to it's grasp.

Although I was raised in a very STRICT Southern Baptist household, there was much imperfection going on right before my eyes. However, I somehow "believed" that our family was PERFECT! Through the years, I have awakened to the harsh reality that NO family is perfect, as is no person. I have even in recent years left formal religion, as far as attending a church. This really saddens me, as it keeps me from worshipping my Heavenly Father in the way He deserves to be honored and adored. Why have I left the church? Because of hypocrisy (sp?) within the "christian" members! I am the first to tell you that there are many hypocritical christians, just as there are in any religion or whatever. I strive daily to commune with my Father God through constant mental communication, prayer and praise from my heart. It saddens me to hear and see so many people doubting God's Love and assuming that God allows disease and sin and death. He loves each and every one us, regardless of our ways .... but He gives us the loving CHOICE to follow His laws or man's laws. I can only pray that my beliefs are indeed His wishes for my life, and honestly try to help others as much as I can, by what I have learned from the Bible .... which I believe is the "infallable Word of God".

To anyone I have offended, I am sorry. Truly sorry. Laura, I do believe it is possible to both love and serve God, regardless of other choices we have made. By saying this, I am NOT suggesting you change your lifestyle, I am saying that I DO believe you can be a good person, and love the Lord without necessarily being "perfect". Of course, what do I really know? What do ANY of us HUMANS REALLY know? I prefer to cling to my Faith that God is in control, and that as long as I have my heart and eyes looking up to HIM for guidance in my life, that one day I will be blessed to see His face in Heaven.

Sincerely,
Kim

edit: Side note to Cataholic

Originally posted by Cataholic
AND, to further expand on CID's thoughts, assume, Kim that she DID say what you are suggesting...can't you see the issue with drawing such a comparison? Do these two concepts- drug abuse and homosexuality REALLY belong in the same class? Religion aside, that these two concepts are to be painted with the same brush is bizarre. To me, it suggests bigger problems with the believer than we are addressing here and now.

Johanna ... I have stated all I really wanted to say in my above post ... but this is the part that some people don't understand about "us Christians" .... there is never (at least not for me) a "religion aside" .... I'm sorry but to me, religion is my way of life, it is not something I can "use" one day and not the other.

Kim