Save the Drama for Your Mama!

Bless my readers, for I have sinned. I have watched an UNGODLY amount of America's Next Top Model today!

My roomie and I love watching these girls and Tyra Banks for so many reasons. Every season the formula is exactly the same. The girls get a 'challenge' for the first half of the show, and the second half is a photo shoot. Before each segment, they get a clue from Tyra giving them a hint as to what the challenge or photo shoot will be. This clue is entitled 'TYRA MAIL'! Every week, it never fails. The girls SCREAM when they get their 'mail' from Tyra, and every week they are completely BLOWN AWAY when whatever set or situation they stumble into turns out to be a 'challenge'. (Ahem. For example: "Oh my Gawd, it was a CHALLENGE?! I thought we were just put onto teams and asked to put make-up on each other 'cause it's fun and we are being filmed and...oh." Sigh.)

This season I was watching today was cycle 12 or something equally ungodly like that. You think by Season 12 they would LEARN. C'mon, Girls!

So there was this one girl, who was actually pretty mature, and she was really talented at modeling, from what I can tell. But there was this OTHER girl who was less confident and not so good. The latter girl actually WON that week, though, and while the smart girl faired well, she felt the need to share with Tyra and the judges that winner girl had a expressed not wanting to be on Top Model anymore (GASP!).

PHEW! DRAMA, I know. Bear with me.

I thought the smart girl was being fair in sticking up for the girl being sent home and calling out the whiny girl. In her mind, it didn't make sense for someone who didn't want to be there to stay. Tyra, however, was not with me (Tyra and I differ on many accounts. One being I don't talk about myself as 'Mama' most days or 'smyzing' as my gift to the world)

Tyra called out the girl who spoke up because it was not this girl's place to judge. If the whiny girl wanted to speak up, she would have.

Eh, I get it. But I felt for the smart girl because- as we all know- when there is something unjust or unfair, we all want to SPEAK UP about it!

So where am I going with this?

Well, I certainly identify with the model who spoke up, but have also gotten burned many times for doing so (they almost sent her HOME next week for doing so! I know because I watched the next episode as well...um, yeah). There is a fine line between speaking up for what we believe in and then also letting things happen organically and not taking control all the time. Letting people speak for themselves.

This week was the March for Life. One of the cool things about living in DC is having the opportunity to witness our free speech in events like this. I think marching or protesting- for whatever cause- and letting your voice be heard in a silent stance or a purposeful walk- speaks louder than words sometimes.

But then there are, of course, times when we need to use our words as well. But its important to discern when these times are, I think.

I know my friend also spoke about this topic of evanglization on her blog ('sup, Gina!) and Father gave us alot to think about this too on retreat.

Time and time again, I feel like God has pulled a Tyra on me, calling me out when I think I was doing right and saying, 'leave ME to judge' (and Tyra certainly equates herself with God, but there I go judging...)

St. Paul in the second reading tomorrow (3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) talks about each of our roles in the body of Christ. This is a good message to keep in mind when we are 'judging' others. To recognize that "if the body were an eye, where would the hearing be?" That we can't all be the same and our uniqueness keeps things interesting.

It is also is an assurance from God, too, that when we start to doubt our abilities or compare ourselves to others, we should know we each have a unique role and no one can contribute what we do the way that we do it.

I think that's a pretty pro-life message too. I didn't make it down to the March this year. I had class, and when I left, a 'wintry mix' was forming so I chickened out (it ended up being a really beautiful day, though! SO I was bummed I missed out).

In class, though- it's a psychology class- we watched a video on the 'baby's brain'. To know that each neuron in our brain is formed in the first four weeks of our conception and that each one is unique and as a special place to go and job to do- it's just amazing. Just another example about how science and faith DO go together. Of course, we have been given the gift of knowledge to learn how our brain functions, but there is something awesome to it that we can't explain. Like we know that each neuron has a function and we can explain it and maybe even explain how it develops...but who thought of that? Who created it? Ya know?

So I suppose I should cut even the Top Models some slack. They have their gifts and Tyra certainly has hers.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is Good! (His Mercy endures forever) Phew! And I think I've just come full circle. I think I may have just made a good confession! ;)

Peace,
Julia