Joan of Arc

I have been told I am like Joan of Arc. I have another friend that told me she was equated to Joan of Arc too. Well, my dear, and you know who you are, that just shows how much we think alike, and I think that is awesome. We are truly kindred spirits. It has taken me a long time to process what my dear friend meant went she called me a Joan of Arc persona. I am not going to give you very much of a history lesson. All I am going to say is that Joan of Arc was a woman who was fighting for the freedom of her people. Oh, and she heard voices and had visions....sounds a bit like mental illness? Maybe, maybe not. I didn't have mental illness back when my friend dubbed me a Joan of Arc type. So why did my friend see Joan of Arc in me? Because I honestly didn't even see it... but I am beginning to.

Joan of Arc fought for what she believed in to the point of being burned at the stake. She did it with swords and men and battles. She fought for freedom and justice. I am not fighting any wars. We have religious freedom in America. I don't need to tell any dictators to leave my people alone or let my people go. So what am I fighting for? And what have I been fighting for my whole life? I have always had a strong sense of truth and right and wrong. It isn't until recently I have allowed grey to enter my world as being a possible truth too. And the idea that you can "cross" the line and still be ok with God is something new I am entertaining too. But until this point, its been if you hurt someone, BOOM! Fire should rain on your head. So how am I fighting? Well, this blog certainly didn't start out this way, but I think its turning into somewhat of a fighting tool. What do I mean? I want freedom, mostly for myself, and then for all of you as well. I want it so much, that I keep putting myself out there for you guys to read about every day. I may never change the world through this blog. I may not ever convince you that I am right about anything I am saying. But if I can get even one of you, or just myself thinking in a new way, I have done what I came here to do.

Right now I think you all keep coming back to read this blog because its new, its somewhat shocking and its interesting. I say things you have been dying to hear like sex is not dirty, and purity is not as hard to achieve as you think it is. I tell you its easier to get to heaven then you think, and that God loves you more than you can imagine. And I share my own personal experiences. I am just being real folks, and telling you what I honestly believe. I know it doesn't always fit into any one religious package. Not all the Evangelicals are going to agree with me, and God knows I don't fit into any other religion. But I am not even fighting to promote Evangelical Christianity. I promote Jesus, God, and His truth. That's it. If what I understand about that truth doesn't fit into what I have been told it means, I am not going to tell you about it.

But the point of all this is, I want us all to be truly free. The Bible says that we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free. Free from what? Free from the binding effects of lies. Every time you believe a lie about something, it puts you in bondage. If you think, for example, that holding onto your anger is going to hurt the person who hurt you, you are sadly mistaken. It will only hurt you. If you think that you should never forgive someone because what they did is unforgivable, you can do that, but you will never know true freedom. That person will always have power over you. If you believe that your life should be all about fun and pleasure, and screw everything else, well the Bible says you are dead while you yet live. Yikes! I don't want to be a walking dead woman. I want to live life to the fullest.

These are just examples of some more topics I can talk about more in depth. I am full of topics, don't worry about that. Just if you ever get mad about something I have said, or it rubs you the wrong way, all I ask is that you resist the urge to get out your kindling and sticks of dynamite. I don't really want to get burned at the stake. I am not going to stop writing this blog, even if I knew there was a bonfire waiting for me at the end of it. That's highly unlikely since I can't be arrested for speaking my mind unless I threaten someone. I have the Freedom of Speech right here in the greatest country ever, America. So keep reading. I will keep making it interesting. I speak from the heart and what has been placed in my mind over the years. Oh, and one more thing I am fighting for. To remove the stigma of mental illness. The mentally ill are just like everyone else, their brains just misfire once in awhile. And they are not their mental illness, just like someone with diabetes is not their diabetes. It's just a problem they will have the rest of their lives. Well, that's my plug for that. Have a great day! Just more thoughts from the mind of Crystal.

by: Crystal Nylander