Guest Blogger: Simmer Down

By Denise Hamblin

It has been interesting to watch the reaction to my friend Emily’s “I’m an ex-Mormon” video – both on the website and in the messages I have received from friends.

I will admit, my first reaction was a little on the defensive side – that’s my nature, I defend those I love and care for without much pause. This characteristic has often been attributed to my Italian heritage. If that is the case, my grandma didn’t carry that gene because a more Christ-like person you will never find than her. Now, the defending those you love certainly comes from her.

Some reactions reminded me, again, how often, even under the name of Christ, we are so far from Christ-like. Accusations have been hurled and assumptions have been made about Em simply because she has the courage to say “the Mormon church is not right for me.” I have read her words over and over again, I have listened to her words over and over again, and never once did I hear her say that the Mormon church is full of shit and every active Mormon is an asshole. She was simply telling her story because it needs to be told. Just as she sat in silence, slowly dying because the church simply did not provide what HER soul needed to grow and flourish, there are others who are feeling exactly the same thing. Thank God, they can find some hope in Em’s words. Her words might just be the thing that saves them.

I know it was for me. It took someone who had the courage to show me that there was a place where MY soul could flourish. A place where I could discover what God expected from ME. It doesn’t have to look exactly the same for every person. I have also learned that there are many whom I love who have found that same peace within the church. And I am so glad it works for them.

Think of how many ways you can get home from work, school, the store, etc. There are sections of each route that are unique to that journey and there are sections that cross over with another path. Honestly, it doesn’t matter which route I take, what matters is that I get home. Isn’t that the point to this place called earth? It doesn’t really matter how we do it, it only matters that, in the end, we end up there together – and we can raise the beverage of our choice in the air and cheer the fact that we did.

When you sit down to a clean sheet of paper and a new box of crayolas, which color do you grab first? Now, imagine only being able to use that one crayon. How long would it take before you wished for another color? Are there some crayons you never use? Do you find yourself wondering who in the hell would ever like Sepia? But God recognizes the beauty found in each crayon that makes up his box with the built-in sharpener. Our responsibility is to stand up straight and make room for everyone. And Em, you will always be the Razzmatazz in my world.

Cool. I've always wanted to be someone's Razzmatazz. Can I be your Razzle Dazzle too?