Growing in Live Until the Day I Die: Sheltered Life: All It's Cracked Up to Be

So if you hang out with me long enough, you will figure out that there is something strange about me. Aside from being a Jesus Freak, I have lived most of my life until the age of 18 sheltered.

For as long as I can remember my dad and mom have been in the ministry giving me the title 'Pastor's Kid'. Not only that, but after the third grade my mom was impressed by the Lord to take my brother and I from the public school system, and home-school us giving us the title, 'Home-schoolers'.

At a young age I did not feel as if I had a choice, nor did I know if I had one. During those years it was easy for us to pick up and move from location to location following my dads pastoring ministry. For a while it was okay, and I didn't care that I was a 'Pastor's Home-schooled Kid', mainly because I just never understood what that meant.

And I never bothered to ask anyone.

I heard the term 'sheltered' flying around every once in a while, but I was young and I had no sense of who I was, or what I wanted to be.

We would turn a program if the language on it was bad. We were not permitted to watch movies PG-13 and up(PG was skeptical). Smoking and alcohol and pictures of scandalous women were absolutely forbidden. Music that was not family-oriented, or contained provocative language, or only talked about non-uplifting values were also exempt.

The list could go on and on, but you get the picture. Sheltered. 100%.

And I respect it.

Now that I'm older and making way on being my own self, I look back and see both the good and bad of being raised in a sheltered home. Lately though I've noticed that being reminded that I'm 'sheltered' by someone else who possibly did not live the same way upsets me.

It upsets me that I'm thought of differently, or laughed at, or scoffed at for not knowing something like this movie... or that song... or this band... or that mainstream news feed, etc.

Getting laughed at is not fun, especially during teenage years, that's the worst! Now that I'm older though I am comfortable with myself not knowing these things (or caring) and laughing at myself.

Cause that is what it's all about, laughter! If you can't laugh at yourself then you're missing a great side of life. Someone who is really awesome to me told me that life can't be taken seriously, 'cause we die and it's over! And that person is right.

I get in the habit of taking life WAAAAAY to seriously. and I just need to let go. What usually helps me is having someone remind me how this life is not that serious. That helps a lot.

So let's just laugh. Not at people because you might not know what they're going through. But more importantly, laugh at yourself. Grab a mirror, stare at it real hard and have a blast.

Don't worry about what other people might think, cause they might have needed a laugh that day too! :)