Yesterday was Easter so I went to a party after mass with my family, but after the basketball game my Mom wanted me to go with her to visit my Dad.. of course, I didn't have a choice to say yes or no. On the way there, I was flipping through all the radio stations and I decided to go on 107.9 Christian Radio, "Here I am to Worship" was playing so I know the words, of course I'll sing along.. I think my mom was a bit surprised I knew the words, but she never really shows anything actually.
We arrived and walked in. My Dad, as usual, was rambling on and on which is just whatever and I had the biggest urge to just say I'm Christian, even though I didn't want to say it, but write it in a letter. My Mom asked me to get her book and the candy out of the car, I said okay but she said nevermind, I went with her anyways.
I started saying..
Me: Mom, don't you like it better now that I'm closer to God ?
Mom: Yeah I guess.. Just as long as you keep your morals no drinking, smoking, sex..
I cut her off-
Me: Yeah, I know of course.. but I mean.. your just happy if I'm glorifying God and doing his will ?
Mom: Yeah, but keep your morals.
Me: I know I know ( by this time I already started to tear & cry - walking back to the room )
Me: Mom, but what about religion wise ?
Mom: What do you mean ?
Me: I mean.. just guess.
Mom: You don't mean giving up your Catholic religion ?
Me: .. well, I don't believe in tradition, but more of God's word.
Mom: It's the same, they are practically the same thing !
Me: The little things that you believe in or don't will means alot.
Mom: Like what is the difference ?
Me: (I didn't wanna start off w/ Mary b/c everyone does ) ... Like pergitory, they don't talk about it once in the Bible, the Catholic Church just made it up.
Mom: Yeah they do !
Me: Where ? Tell me, give me a verse ?
Mom:.. I don't know, it's in there ! Find it yourself !
Me: See, you don't know because it's not there.
Mom: What did this Bible Study push you to be a Christian ?!
Me: No, no one asked me to convert .. God pushed me to tell you.
( Long pause, because I was already hysterically crying )
Mom: I told you to you have stay a Catholic if I let you go to that Bible Study.Me: Well, I can't make myself believe something I don't believe in and you said it doesn't matter just as long as I'm keeping my morals and close. Don't you like it now that I'm closer to God now as a Christian than far from God as a Catholic ??
Mom: Your main religion is Catholicism and I'm a Catholic and close to God.
( I thought to myself all the times I have tried to rebuke her and she didn't once take God's word into hand when I rebuked her. )
Mom: Your not going to there anymore.Me: Fine, It's okay because I can still do God's will with or without Bible Study.
Mom: Fine then don't go.
Me: I've waited so long to tell you.. I don't fear man over God.. I knew I should of told you..
Like 2 minutes later my Dad wanted to go out and smoke and my Mom took him outside, she passed by me and said "You didn't come here to cry." The rest of the time I just felt this sick pain in my stomach, I didn't make conversation after, not in an angry way.. I just didn't want to.
You know how all the weight was supposed to be lifted off my shoulders ? It feels like worse now. I know she doesn't approve, but I just wish she would understand that It took me so much to tell her. I know It's blessing I could tell her, but I just wish it went better. But, Praise the Lord that I didn't hold this grudge to her, I still haven't talked to her yet.. I just don't feel like it's right, right now. Even though it's hard to accept, I just need my friends to keep me in place with God. And today my Tita went up to me and said "Why are you miss behaving ?! huh Kathleen ?! " I said " what ?" .. even though I knew what she was talking about." Who told you to switch religions ?!" I walked out because I didn't wanna talk about it.
Thanks for Kristine being there and Kuya Ian, Joanna and everyone caring and praying for me. We will see where God takes me, hopefully he'll open my Mom's eyes and accept I'm a Christian. Pray please ? Thanks.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Michelle Reichenberger
I LOVE YOU, AND I WILL PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, AND THAT YOUR MOM WILL FINALLY OPEN HER EYES AND ACCEPT YOU........... THAT YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN.
ReplyDeleteLOVE YOU.
kathleen, this is amazing. i praise God for your boldness to stand up for God. it is not easy, especially with parents, but God gives us trials for our ultimate good. May you continue growing and tasting God's goodness because of what He accomplished on the cross. store up treasures in heaven! i pray you grow in patience and joy and hope and peace and long-suffering so that your parents may see the difference in you that is in Jesus Christ alone, and not the traditions of man.
ReplyDelete"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." -james 1:2-4
i am praying for you!!! we love you and are here for you. please keep us updated!!
Living for Christ is not an easy road, Paul suffered, you are suffering, Christ suffered on the Cross. That weight on your shoulders that is heaver now, well Christ will help you bare it.
ReplyDeletePraise God for your growth, Kathleen (you and Joanna have really made me smile b/c of your love for the Lord)!
ReplyDeletePraise God for your contentment and joy in this situation. Pray for steadfastness (patience and endurance) to point your family to Christ. In conversations you have in the future, focus on Jesus, how good he is and what he has done, not on the differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism (to point them to Christ and to try to have a more fruitful conversation).
We love you in Christ...Geneyem and I (and Sabrina and Karis) will be praying for you.
Kathleen you are a blessing and a testament of God's will. I am so proud of you and I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you but I hope you find comfort in the fact that God is forever sustaining. My email is always open if you need it and I hope you know that my family and i are praying for you. =D
ReplyDeleteRuth 2:12: "May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge."
hey kathleen,
ReplyDeletecontinue to find your joy in the Lord especially during your trials. continue to seek to find your happiness when things are hard and you want to cry. Christ is better than all and he is your fullness of joy. we will be praying for you
geneyem
Boy, that must have been tough. As children we all long for the love and approval of our parents. But sometimes what they ask us to do isn't biblical, so we obey God at the cost of disobeying our parents. And while we know by His word, and in our hearts, that we've done right, the disapproval of our parents still hurts. It's a shame that your parents don't understand and would even openly resent you. But still we rejoice, knowing that the joy of abiding in God's word will overcome the sorrow we feel for being persecuted. I pray you take comfort in knowing "if the world hates you, know that it has hated [Christ] before it hated you" (John 15:18). Jesus knows your pain.
ReplyDeleteKathleen I can't tell you how proud of you I am. Do you remember how shy you used to be around us? You didn't even want to talk to us when we would hang out at my house, but now you're so bold I bet you can talk to just about anybody. And I still remember how much joy I felt that day you went up to share your blessing and you talked about how you got rebuked by your friend for not living like a Christian, and how you were thankful for rebuke because it shows us our sin.
And now, to hear you work up the courage to tell your parents you're not Catholic. I read this entry and I nearly cried; no joke. First Lydia, then Kristine, then Joanna, and now you. How much He has grown you all...it's truly incredible. And what a blessed group of friends God has given you to encourage you and well as console you, Kathleen, knowing they're enduring the same hardships.
You're my little sister in Christ and I'm blessed to have been able to see how dramatically you've grown in your walk as a Christian. Rest assured, the same strength God supplied you to confront your parents and tell them your faith, He will also supply you to endure the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteWe miss you already, and trust that we'll continually be praying for you. It's going to be different this Friday when there's nobody is asking to clap during benediction or jumping into the circle to uprock. And A Tribe Called 2 Christ (aka Krumpin 4 Christ) will be one awesome b-girl short! But like Mikey P said, we must all suffer persecution, and carry our cross. So carry it, and please keep updating your blog because I for one want to know how my little sister in Christ is doing!
P.S. Do you have an e-mail address?
kathleen. me you and joanna need to hang out before i graduate.
ReplyDeletei am so blessed by reading this. God has grown you in so many ways and it really is going to be different without you there. keep pressing on towards the goal and keep growing in Christ!!! i know it is hard. but God has a plan and just keep running to him and i am gonna pull you over when i see you next at school! i don't even have your number! i wants it! i love you!
God always has a plan
ReplyDeletetake comfort in Him
i'll be praying for you
hakunamatataaa =)