"I Didn't, You Shouldn't!"

"I've been through that too...but I didn't react the way you did.  You don't have to react that way."
"That happened to me, but it didn't affect me like that, so it shouldn't affect you like that."
Well, it just so happens that while there are many different things that can happen to many different people, and sometimes two different people may have the exact (or very similar) same thing happen to them.  But...these people are, as mentioned before different, which means that they will most likely have different reactions.
Sometimes a person reacts in a positive way to a terrible thing that happened to them, but another person who may have had the exact same thing happen to them reacts either neutral or negatively.  In some of these cases, the person who reacts positively might ask the person who reacted negatively, "What's wrong with you, this isn't as terrible as you're acting.  I'm fine."  Or the person who reacted negatively might go to the person who reacted positively saying, "Why are you acting so okay?  This isn't okay!  This has devastated me!"
An example (fictional, but so real) is in the book by Sarah Dessen, Just Listen.
This book is about a girl named Annabel who was raped by her best friend's serial rapist boyfriend.  He had a habit of raping or otherwise violating girls, then his girlfriend would get mad and alienate the girl.  Making sure everyone know that the rape victim was an [insert curse word here as I do not use curse words, even in quotes on my blog].
She either didn't know or didn't want to see what her boyfriend was doing.  So, when at the end of the school year, Annabel was raped by him, Annabel became alienated.
The rape devastated Annabel.  She didn't feel like she could or should tell anyone what happened.  She didn't feel like she should tell anyone the "real" reason why Sophie (former friend) wasn't her friend anymore.  The story circulating around school was that Annabel was a [bleep] who slept with Sophie's boyfriend.  She had no friends.
She was scared.  When she saw Will (the boyfriend) she threw up.  Not once.  Twice.  She didn't want to do modeling anymore (A family thing that she'd been doing since before she could walk), but she was also scared to tell her mother.
Near the end of the book, the girl who had taken Annabel's place, a Freshman named Emily, was raped by Will.  Emily wasn't silent.  Was she scared?  Yeah.  But she went to the authorities.  And because of that, Annabel also found the courage to stand up.
The same thing happened to two different girls.  The same thing.  By the same guy.  But they reacted differently.
It's like pouring baking soda over water, and pouring baking soda over vinegar.  The water doesn't react, but the vinegar has an explosive reaction (science fair volcano anyone?).  The same solvent, but a different solute.
Does that mean that everyone should be allowed to react however they want?  If I punch you in the face, is it okay to react by shooting me?  Uh...not exactly.  But in certain circumstances, understand...different people react differently to even the same thing.
For example (drawing from a research paper I did my sophomore year), sometimes when a girl is sexually abused as a child, she completely withdraws from sex and anything sexual altogether...other times, a different girl, even if it was the exact same guy, the exact same type of abuse, will have an extremely high sex drive.
This is just something that's been rattling around in my mind for awhile.
~Katie

The Way to be Saved (Cartoon Jesus)

(Sorry for the weird way it's shown here...I copy pasted it from something I already shared on Facebook)

"Share me." Says cartoon Jesus in the little meme.
"Oh no, keep scrolling, that means you pick me." Cartoon Satan laughs.
Cartoon me is in between them, looking scared. Which should I pick? Is it betraying Jesus not to press the little share button? It's not that hard to do and then, whew, I've told all of my Facebook friends that I pick Jesus!
My Facebook friends have no idea that I pick Jesus if I don't share that. Not even if I just shared my favorite Bible verse two minutes ago, or told everyone that God answered my prayer.
My Facebook friends don't know that I'm a Christian if I don't share that. Not even if I was sitting in church next to them yesterday. Not even if they came to me with a prayer request and I prayed for them.
My Facebook friends haven't the slightest idea that I serve God if I don't share that. Not even if I show them His love.
Or, maybe I'm not a Christian.
My Facebook friends have no idea that I don't pick Jesus, as long as I share that. Not even if I cussed at the slow driver who had no idea where they were. Not even if I go along with bullying that already bullied enough girl.
My Facebook friends don't know that I'm not a Christian if I share that. Not even if just three seconds ago I posted on my Facebook something about how God doesn't exist.
My Facebook friends haven't the slightest idea that I don't serve God, if I share that. Not even if I cheat on my test with no remorse. Not even if I continually talk about people behind their backs.

As long as I share that little cartoon...I'm a Christian. It doesn't matter how I live. It doesn't matter what I do. All I have to do is share that little cartoon.
After all, in the KSV (Katie Standard Version), in Heresy 2:6 it says "Whosoever shareth the cartoon Jesus shall be saved."
And over in the book of Falsehood, chapter nine, it says, "They who share not the cartoon Jesus choose in their hearts, not only cartoon Satan, but the true Satan. These too shall have their place in the Lake of Fire."
And if you go on to the Song of Deception, chapter 6, verse 8, it says, "For God so loved the world that he gave the cartoon Jesus that whosever shareth on Facebook shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
And later on in the chapter, verse 19, Jesus says, "I and cartoon Jesus are one."
So. Obviously the way to be saved and to prove to the world that I am saved is to share this cartoon. And all along, I thought that the way to be saved was to "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" and to prove to the world that I am saved was to "love one another as [Jesus] loved [me]."

My After High School Plans

If any of you have ever been a high school senior or a high school graduate, I'm sure you've been asked over and over and over and over...and OVER... "So...what are your plans after high school?"  And, "What are you doing next year?"  And, "Have you decided what you're going to be out in the real world?"
Well, for one, calling life after high school the "real world" is ridiculous, but that's for another rant/blog post.  And for two...getting asked those questions over and over and over and over and over and over and--oops, got stuck typing the same thing...gets annoying.
SO!  To answer that question, I have decided to take to my blog.  And if you read my blog...please don't ask me again in person!  I'm begging you!
My plans for after high school:
I will be attending a college in an undisclosed location in order to become a bear.  My major will be in hibernation, with a minor of circus bear.
This college is one of the top bear colleges in the USA and is highly recommended by graduate Smoky Bear, a wildlife preserver, known for his saying, "Remember, only you can prevent wildfires."  They have many classes, ranging from History of Bears, Bears Around the World, Bears in Bible Times, Beary Berry Picking, Salmon Fishing, Salmon Selling...and on and on and on.
Besides classes, they have several different majors.  Hibernation, Fishing, Circus Bear, Bear Fighter, Wildlife Preservation Bear...and the list continues.
I am currently waiting for my paperwork to come back.  I am getting a free ride with the "Most Imaginative Mind" scholarship.
However, if I ever get tired of my chosen major and minor, I may return to a human college, where I plan to major in education.  Most likely elementary and/or special.  I will of course take a music class, because I love music.
My minor is still undecided, but probably not underwater basketweaving.
So, there you have it.  That is my plan for after high school!
~Katie