i was asked the other day - "what annoys or frustrates you the most at this stage in your life"...
i had to think for a bit - but the answer was there, in the folds of my brain... picking away at me in niggling conscience.
This was my answer: i am frustrated with the pba in plastics, the hormones in beef, chicken & dairy & synthetic estrogens being used in pesticides all over our fresh fruit, veggies & grains. i'm frustrated that i don't feel like vaccines are safe or ethical & i'm also sick of fear mongering. i'm tired of worrying about "fair trade" & lead & melamine in products from China. i'm sad that we have to think about child labour affecting the price of the products we buy & that i have to try to remember to boycott Nestle... i'm annoyed that there is msg & other poisons put into our food & i'm sick of worrying about chemicals in shampoos & aluminum in antiperspirant. i worry about my children's fertility because of all the hormones pee'd into our water supply & i'm concerned that one day, they'll ask why we didn't do anything about it to protect them... i could go on & on...
The bible tells us not to worry (Matthew chapter 6 - a personal favourite of mine & so beautifully written)... & i know that there are things that are beyond my control...
But, deep in my heart, i believe that we're supposed to wrestle with some of these issues. My sister Jess does this by taking tiny bites as she can of each of these issues & doing what she can to minimize the risks and maximize the good that she *is* able to do. My sister Stephanie takes huge bites & researches to the end of the world and back to find answers & reliable information on these difficult subjects.
Me?
i probably lean more to how Jessie does things - just because of my nature. i try not to let the enormity of the task at hand frighten, intimidate & cause me to worry - while at the same time, trying not to remain ignorant & covering my eyes & ears.
We do what we can when we can, right?
i don't feel like i know enough to be able to post on most of my above "frustrations" - but tomorrow, i'm gonna post just a teeny bit on one bite-sized topic as food for thought. Something worth wrestling with & thinking about - & taking into consideration.
How do you wrestle with the tough topics?
11 comments:
I just try to ignore them until they go away ;)...hehe - jk!
I KNOW I don't do enough or wrestle enough. I think I would do the same...little things here and there.
I really wish organic and natural things were cheaper....
It is also a bit hard when MY OWN HUSBAND is the one spraying the chemicals on the grains! I'm sorry :(
Sometimes I wish I lived in the city where there is good recycling programs and more options for food.
I am very thankful for my garden tho.
Hmmm, lots to do & think about.
Thanks for making us think :)
How do I wrestle with those tough topics? My first instinct is to run and hide...I want to live off-grid in a remote corner of the earth so I am unaffected by the 'dangers' out there. But I guess doing that does not allow one to take a (noticeable) stand or make a difference. I tend to research things to death and try where possible to put my findings into practice. How hard is it to avoid China-made products when living on a tight budget? Or buying the chemical laden produce in the discount bin? I can't help it sometimes. So instead of beating myself up I try to live as a responsible steward of what God has given me, and I hope my children learn that as well.
OH man, there is no other topic that could ignite more frustration and adrenaline than this one. My nature is one that I cannot help but research research research. My whole soul tires of being the "weird" one. The one who does EVERYTHING different. I tend to error on the side of worry and have been on a long road of realizing that whether my kids die of old age, or chemically induced cancer, they will still die someday. Many times I wish that I didn't care and that I could just STOP asking questions. But I can't, I hunger for truth on any subject and sadly I've found you have to look for it if you want it because it's not self evident in our society. Oh Jesus, come back soon.
Oh Paige,
I'm right there with you. All of those things frustrate me as well, and some days I'm really good at staying on top of my game in boycotting some things and checking labels on other things...etc. We are seriously working towards living off grid, and simply using the internet to try to spread the word...also once we are set up offgrid part of our plan is to make it a bit of a resort so people can see another way of life that doesn't hurt anyone or anything...
Deborah....check this out..colgate is made in mexico now..but crest is made in ontario...simple things like this don't affect your budget too much and you can feel better about the things you buy, knowing you're supporting Canadian economy!
I guess I feel that we shouldn't stress ourselves out too much about some of this stuff. Sure, it is bad they are spraying chemicals on our fruit -- but we can still eat it safely as long as we wash it well before hand. And when I asked the health nurse about vaccines and being made with fetal remains she claimed that wasn't true, that it was egg based ... so Isobel had her shot the other day. You could make yourself completely crazy if you worried about every little thing and you can't wrap your kiddies in cotton wool (even though you'd like to). I do think there are too many hormones in meat etc. and wonder if that's why girls are "developing" so young now days, but since I don't have a pig or a cow or a chicken in the backyard, I have no alternative but to buy store bought meat that might contain those nasties... though I do know from Gordon working at the pig barn that they supposedly weren't supposed to ship animals that had been injected recently with any kind of antibiotic.
Your "title" made me think of the scripture about not wrestling against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers...
Good luck as you attempt to "keep the faith" and reconcile some of these things with your lifestyle.
Saskatchewan Cousin
Denise - the public health nurse was either lying, or uninformed. Either way, it's a sad state of affairs. People in the medical community (& in society in general) don't want to talk about the fact that there was aborted fetal tissue used to create certain vaccines... i don't blame them - but it's time to talk about it... & make a loud stink. Check out some of the links i posted today.
I've grown by leaps & bounds in my awareness of some of those food/environmental issues in the past 1 1/2 years, but I still get panicky sometimes. At this point, I've chosen priorities (mostly food-related, in case you hadn't noticed ;) and tried not to worry about the stuff I can't afford to tackle right now, or can't change, period. But toxins in the environment is a big one for me. There are so many things I'd never thought of, and I can't tackle everything at once. So I'm praying for protection for the rest of it right now...and doing my best.
Mindy,
praying Psalm 91 came to mind as I read your comment...I need to do this more I think.
That's me too, Mindy - i love how you said that - it's not a cop out, it's just that we're all doing the very best we can. My prayer is that my best 5 years from now, is a whole lot better than my best today.
no matter how big of bites i may take, i feel the same, paige.
some things are just totally beyond my control.
two of my little boys have had surgery for undescended testicles, with no history in our family of that on either side. i know it's environmental. the baby i lost - i'm pretty sure that was environmental. Other people's choices are hurting me, big time. And my good choices don't seem to have much of an effect.
BUT in my inner man, God is telling me that it's not worth it to look at what other people do - to listen to Him, and focus on what His heart is hoping I will learn/do/become. And if that's learning to take a deep breath when i have one of those days where it's one emergency after another and no margin :), well, that's good enough for that day. If He wants me to save the world :) i know He will tell me, but until then, it's one little change, one heart's movement, one position of the will, after another, in an effort to be love, to live love to the world, and to train my children to be love in the world...
"If He wants me to save the world :) i know He will tell me, but until then, it's one little change, one heart's movement, one position of the will, after another, in an effort to be love, to live love to the world, and to train my children to be love in the world..."
I like how you said this. Very much my prayer for my family. Thanks for saying it so eloquently.
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