Thoughts on Miley Cyrus

To anyone who has ever read this blog, it is obvious that I never write opinion pieces about current events. I genuinely enjoy home renovations & DIY projects, & created this blog to document our updates to our home in Louisville. But after the Sunday night MTV Video Music Awards I have several thoughts over the reactions that Miley Cyrus caused from just about everyone who either watched it or has since looked it up on Youtube. 

The outrage that Miley brought upon herself is a bit surprising to me. First of all, she was preforming on the MTV Video Music Awards. We are talking about the same awards show where Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera kissed Madonna a few years ago. The same company who makes money off of shows like Teen Mom. MTV isn't exactly the moral compass of our country, and they never claimed to be. 

I can imagine how shocking all of Miley's "twerking" must have been to many parents out there or anyone over the age of 30, but I was not shocked. Sure, I thought her outfit was weird and I couldn't figure out why she kept sticking her tongue out, but her dancing did not surprise me. She is a 20-year-old girl, and there are thousands of other 20-year-old girls dancing the same exact way on college campuses across the US. More than that, there are thousands of young girls dancing like that in middle and high schools across the US. I was one of them. I learned to dance that way at a Christian high school of all places. Miley was just bold enough to provocatively dance on stage the same way that so many teenagers do in dark, crowded dance rooms every spring and fall at homecoming dances and proms.

I understand that she was Hannah Montana and seemed to be such a good little girl before she grew up and the world ruined her. But I also grew up in the age of girl pop stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. Every one of them had a clean image in the beginning, and every one of them changed over to the side of the seductive female artist. I remember being in the fifth grade and sneaking to the upstairs television room of our house and watching Britney Spears sing about how she was "not that innocent" at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. It was her coming out of sorts into the world as a sexy female musician, and people were shocked and outraged. The fact that another female star is making that same crossover just doesn't surprise me.

The surprising part about Miley's performance to me is the reaction I have seen from believers. People are genuinely outraged that a once clean, young star decided to vulgarly dance across the stage in a bikini and make suggestive motions with a giant foam finger. I understand that she used to be an icon to young girls back in her Hannah Montana days, but I also understand that she is not a Christian. Just because she used to do cleaner performances, does not mean that she was any less sinful before Sunday night. I do think our hearts should break for the condition of her soul, and it did make me sad to see how much she has changed, but at the same time, how can we as believers be outraged and shocked when the world acts like the world? 

Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 5 that we are not to judge those outside of the church for their sin, but to look at those inside the church claiming the name of Christ. I believe it is safe to say that Miley is outside of the church, so why are believers so angry with her? If you are angry that your daughter's icon is now a bad example, there was already a problem there to begin with. Use this performance by Miley to instruct your daughter that this is what the world looks like, and it is not pleasing to God and it is not how believers are instructed to behave. Young Christian girls should be looking up to their godly mothers, Sunday School teachers, and other women in the church, not Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus. Christian parents are called to instruct their children in the way they should go so that when they are older they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). You don't have to shelter your children or emulate the movie "The Village" to keep them from bad influences. Instead, use those bad influences as teaching moments.

I am so thankful to the Lord for a godly mother who instructed her young Christian daughters how to behave in a way that pleases Christ. I am also thankful that she didn't wait until after the 2000 MTV VMAs to do so, but she did see it for the teaching moment that it was and took advantage of that. I am thankful for a godly father who, after a time of rebellion in my life, held me as I cried and confessed sin to him and forgave me. He then instructed me on how to reflect Christ after a period of time that I no longer looked like Him.

Parents, do not simply get angry over Miley's performance. Talk to your children about it. No doubt everyone in their school is already talking about it. Use this moment to instruct them in the way they should go. Believer, pray for Miley Cyrus, but also pray for the young men and women in your church who are seeking to look like Christ in a world that wants nothing to do with Him. I understand that people whose media did not used to look the way it does today are upset that times are changing. But believers are not to behave as those who have no hope. Remember the Gospel. Remember the hope we have in Christ, and pray for those who are still in darkness.   

 

Hadley Anne

Since my last post, we had a baby! I have been meaning to type up Hadley's birth story for a while, but am just now getting around to it 5 weeks later. I hate that I left my nice camera in my car when we went to the hospital, but I still am glad we got a few pictures from everyone's phones.

My due date for Hadley was July 6th. From the very beginning everyone has joked that we would have a July 4th baby & she would be a little firecracker. When I went to my weekly check up on Tuesday, July 2, my doctor, Dr. Link, said I was progressing really well & was already 3 cm dilated. He then told me that he would be on call all day on Thursday & I had the option to come in to get my water broken & have our little girl! I was so shocked to be given this option because we had not talked about an induction at all. It made me really excited to think about having Hadley in just two days so I said yes & he told me his office would call me the next day to work out the details.

I left the doctor's office & started calling family to let them know we were actually going to be having a July 4th baby! I knew my family would be coming up for the birth, so it was really convenient to have a set day to be able to tell them. My sister Lindsey wanted to jump in the car Tuesday night & come to Louisville from Memphis, but they all decided to wait until Wednesday morning to make the trip. My dad, mom, Lindsey, Ruthie, Bethany & my Mamaw & Papaw all loaded up in two cars & made the trek to Louisville. It was so good having my family come up for Hadley's birth. On Wednesday night we all had dinner at our house with Gentry's parents & had the best time. I even got out in the garden with my Mamaw & picked zucchini & squash that we cooked to go with our dinner. 

I was told to call the hospital at 5 am on Thursday morning to make sure there was a bed ready for me before heading to the hospital. I did not sleep much at all the night before so 5 am came early! I called, but was told that all the beds were full & I should call back in a couple of hours. I could not go back to sleep so I got up & made coffee & read my Bible. My Mamaw, Papaw, Lindsey, Ruthie & Bethany all stayed with us that night while my parents were in a hotel nearby. My Mamaw was up early & we were able to have some time together over coffee for a little while as everyone else slept. My Papaw joined us shortly after, then Lindsey came in the hearth room to sit with us. 

By 8 am I called the hospital back & was told there were still no beds & I could go ahead & eat a small breakfast. I had breakfast with my family & my mom came over. By 9:30 I called back & was told to come in at 11. It was a really relaxing morning & I'm so thankful for the time I had with family before heading to the hospital, & I know Gentry was thankful for the chance to sleep in!

Around 10:40 we left the house & headed to the hospital to check in.

 

My nurse hooked me up to the IV & started the Pitocin, & my doctor came in around 12:40 to break my water. It did not hurt at all & I started having contractions pretty soon after. Dr. Link told me I could have my epidural whenever I wanted, so after an hour of contractions I decided I didn't have anything to prove & asked for the epidural! :) It was the best decision. The anesthesiologist came in soon after & put the epidural in, which was completely painless. After that our families stopped by to see us.

Sometime that afternoon the nurse came in to reposition me. Whenever I was having contractions, Hadley's heart rate would drop. They reduced my Pitocin & tried moving me around a lot. The progression slowed down & they ended up putting me on oxygen for a little while. By 10 pm the oxygen was making me nauseous, but Hadley was doing much better & I was almost to 10 cm. Around 11:15 pm my nurse was ending her shift & brought the new nurse in to introduce her to me. As they were going over my charts I told them I had been having very strong contractions that I could feel, so they checked me & decided to let me push. At 11:30 I pushed once & the nurses called my doctor in who had just finished up a c-section. He came in & said we might have a July 4th baby after all. I did three sets of pushes & had Hadley 17 minutes later at 11:47 pm. She was 8 lbs 2 oz & 20.5 in long.

I did kangaroo care for about an hour, then the nurse did Hadley's footprints & swaddled her. I had my first Diet Coke during the kangaroo care & it was the best Diet Coke I've ever had after only having ice that day! Gentry even fed me almonds while I held Hadley :)

Around 1:15 am our families were finally able to come back & meet her.

After our families left we were taken upstairs to our room & Hadley was taken to the nursery to have her first bath.

Around 3 am we were settled in our room & my nurse brought me a very plain turkey sandwich that somehow tasted amazing. They brought Hadley in around 3:30 on Friday morning, & I fed her then she went back to the nursery so we could try and get some sleep. Around 7 am they brought her back & we spent the day with her in our room with family & friends. 

 

Friday night my dad, Papaw, Lindsey, Ruthie & Bethany headed back to Memphis. My mom & Mamaw stayed with us for the first week of being home with Hadley & it was so incredibly helpful! We got home from the hospital on Saturday afternoon & our house was spotless, candles were lit, & dinner was ready to go in the oven. It was amazing!!

 Every morning I spent time in the hearth room with my mom & Mamaw talking over coffee & loving on Hadley. Every night they made an incredible dinner & we had the best week. I will always be thankful for that sweet time with them! It was pretty surreal to think that my Mamaw has held & rocked my mom, me & now Hadley.

Gentry & I are so in love with our little girl! The Lord has definitely blessed us with an easy time so far with Hadley. I began feeling back to normal after about a week & Hadley began sleeping really well in the night between 3 & 4 weeks. Thank you everyone for all of the kind words & prayers!

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