When did Christianity become such a dirty word?

During the course of this tiring election campaign, I've been saddened by the way people seem to freak out over the word, "Christianity." As a country we're told constantly to be a respector of persons, which seems like a good way to be, respector of others' religious beliefs, which, I've never had a problem with doing. But during the past few months, Christianity has been mocked in an unbelievable way. Whether it be by talking-heads in the media, SNL skits, cartoon illustrations, etc. Christianity has taken the brunt of many jokes. I don't know if others feel like Christians think they are perfect, judgemental people, but it's quite the contrary. Most Christians KNOW they're imperfect, that's the first stepping stone to becoming a Christian. When did it become such a bad thing to stand on your moral principles and values? When did it become acceptable to mock others' religious beliefs? This is just something that has been weighing on my mind, and I wanted to get some others' perspectives on this.

Stepping outside the box

Recently I havc been dealing with a few personal issues. I don't know if it's the upcoming 30th, too much time to think, or what, but my mind has been a constant battlefield.

My first battle ( that I happily won) was reconnecting spiritually. I had gotten so out of the routine of attending church, putting God first, that I had totally lost sight of some very important things. Sitting around, constantly worrying, wondering. Lately I've been giving all of my problems to God, and WOW! ...what a difference that makes!

The second battle that I'm working on, slowly but surely, is reconnecting socially. I'm not exactly sure what happened to my outgoing personality. I've been a SAHM for years now, and some days I feel so disconnected from the rest of the world. I'm sure this is a common issue for other SAHM's like myself. I belong to several groups that participate in playdates and MNO's... and I never attend. It's not that I don't want to, I just... don't. I start thinking things such as, "what if they don't like me?", "what if I say something wrong?." What is wrong with me?! Where does this way of thinking come from? I teach my girls to be the total opposite. To have confidence, believe in themselves, stay true to themselves, all the while I'm so negative about myself! I feel like I owe it to my children to be different, to change this flaw, that in all actuality, makes me lonely and sad. I HAVE to break out of my comfort zone. I think this blog is a stepping stone. I'm not one to openly discuss my feelings, much less put them into text. My next step is actually attending a playdate. So what if they don't like me?! So what if I say something wrong?! At least I did what I needed to for myself. Chances are, they'll like me just fine.

I think sometimes we over analyze things. We worry about things that haven't even happened yet instead of living in the moment. This is an area that I WILL improve in my life, no matter what happens, at least I know I stepped outside the box...