The Bad Luck Coaster

            Most Christians generally don’t believe in luck or bad luck. They believe everything happens for a reason, whether it’s good or bad. Personally, I’ve always agreed with this consensus.

            Until recently.

            Lately, I’ve been having the longest and strangest string of bad luck I’ve ever encountered in my life. For the past couple of weeks it’s been either extreme bad luck or extreme good luck. The switch between the two has been incredibly harsh.

Honestly, it’s like a roller coaster going as high as it possibly can before plummeting down at an almost ninety degree drop, going lower than where the ride first started, before starting the cycle all over, going higher and lower with each twist and turn.

Anyone would need motion sickness pills after that.

My days will start out good, keep getting better, and then drop down to bad and then the worst. Then the next day, it’s vice versa. There’s just no logical reason as to why. The good luck has involved everything from my school, to my friends, to my job. The bad luck has as well. It’s been bewildering.

I know it doesn’t sound like a big deal, just everyday runs of good or bad luck, so let me explain why I’m writing this.

Just today, the roller coaster plummeted farther than it ever had before. It went down so quickly and so low that my health suffered.

Literally.

Suddenly, my good luck part of the ride seems to be over and bad luck seems to have taken me on a different ride. And this ride, if I may call it that, has suddenly gotten me to reevaluate my whole “Everything happens for a reason” way of thinking.

Does all this pointless amount of bad luck have a reason?

As a Christian, I feel like I have to say yes. I mean, we’re all part of God’s plan and to believe that what happens in life is random and has no meaning would go against this way of thinking.

But as a teenager going through some very tough times? I think it’s understandable to fear the answer could be no.

And that’s okay.

I’m not denying God has a plan for each and every one of our lives. I’m sure He does and knows the reasons behind each of those moments that seem pointlessly full of bad luck.

But that doesn’t mean I know.

The truth is, life is full of so many moments that it’s hard to see what bad parts can lead to the good. The only one who truly knows the reason why everything happens is, of course, God. But, thankfully, every once in a while we get a little glimpse as well.

Now that I think about it, I had to go through some bad luck at school so my friend and I could both have some good luck. So perhaps the bad luck with my health will lead to something good too.

Even if I don’t know what it is yet.

So maybe, instead of trying to frantically unbuckle myself from the bad luck coaster with tears streaming down my face, I should just sit back, raise my arms in the air, and rest assured that God’s strapped in right there next to me, along for the ride.

Besides, I trust He knows every twist and turn before I do.

But Mom, Eve Was a Vegetarian!

            Right from the start, I can promise this post is not as deep and heartfelt as my other posts are and I apologize for that. However, I’ve wanted to touch on a topic for a while now since I’ve never really come across it on any other blog.

            Here’s the topic: Christian vegetarians.

            All right, I know this is hardly a pressing issue, but it’s one that caught my attention. On a personal level, it’s because I’m a Christian who just so happens to be vegetarian as well. As a result, I’ve become curious as to what the two could have to do with each other.

            Vegetarianism has become popular lately, as can be seen by the many restaurants opting to have meatless options on their menus (I mean, even Burger King has a veggie burger now!) Many adults are vegetarian, as well as teenagers, and even some kids. I find it interesting how every person who decides to be vegetarian does so for different reasons.

My personal reason is against animal abuse, but I’ve heard of many other reasons. Some choose to be vegetarian because they think eating meat is murder, some as a protest against the meat industry, others for religious purposes, and some are allergic and have no choice.

What I’m wondering is, could one of those reasons correlate directly to being Christian?

When I originally decided to become a vegetarian, my mother freaked out. Like many other teen parents, she automatically assumed the worst.

“But you won’t get enough protein!”

“But you’ll start to get sick more often!”

“But what will you eat?”

“But how can I cook for you?”

The questions went on and on. Eventually, my mom saw I was serious about my decision and supported me, so long as she knew I was healthy. Now, whenever she questions me, I always make the same joke.

“But Mom, Eve was a vegetarian!”

Her response is almost always her rolling her eyes.

My joke got me thinking, though, as to what God’s reaction to my being a vegetarian would be. Would He admire me for respecting His creatures or would He be offended that I refuse to eat a type of food He has created? Were we originally meant to be vegetarians, as Adam and Eve were, or were we always destined to eat meat, like they later had to do? Besides, if being a vegetarian were the right way to go, wouldn’t Jesus have been a vegetarian?

The truth is I’ve been racking my brain on this topic for a while, wondering if deciding to be a vegetarian would really be a diss to God, even if it doesn’t seem like a sin, bad or anything other than just a lifestyle choice.

It’s funny, though, how God works when we really need Him to.

After wondering about this for my entire two years as a vegetarian, I came across a specific Bible verse that spoke to me clearly:

“…He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God” - Romans 14:6 NIV

God spoke to me clearly and just like that, all of my questions had answers. God does admire me for respecting His creatures by not eating them, but He would also admire me for respecting His creatures by eating them as a type of food He created as well. The rest of my questions followed suit. Adam and Eve were originally vegetarians, but by not being vegetarian they weren’t doing anything wrong. The same goes with Jesus.

Like I said before, I know this isn’t a pressing issue, but it was a constant worry I had in the back of my mind. In the end, I’m glad God helped me put the issue to bed, so I can keep my mind on more important issues.

Such as, what else can I vent about on my blog?!