So, this could be a book (and probably is already), but I'll try to keep my thoughts short and concise.
I feel like a lot has changed in the past few years of how I do things and how I think about things. It really started while researching pregnancy and child rearing when we were pregnant with Donovan, and has just expanded from there. I would have NEVER described myself as natural, earthy, or hippy growing up or in my early twenties! Now, it’s a different story. The more research I do, the more I’m convinced that a more “back to nature” way of living is best for our family. All of these more natural ways of doing things I feel should go hand in hand with being a Christian. I’ll try to categorize them and explain why I feel this way:
Natural Birth, Breastfeeding, No Circumsision: God designed women to give birth. We are not “broken” or need to be saved from this sometimes painful and fearful experience by doctors (save for true emergencies). Pain is not some innately bad thing: we learn from pain, we grow through pain, we appreciate joy on the other side of pain, and with His help we get through the pain. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! We are also told to “fear not, for the Lord is with you.” Another thing women are designed for is to feed our babies with our breasts. It is the most natural and God-designed function of a mother’s body. There are actually more references in the Bible to a mother breastfeeding/nursing than anything sexual regarding the breast (love this post:http://mamapsalmist.com/2011/10/30/lets-flesh-this-out-breastfeeding-and-the-bible/ ). It should not be shamed or hidden away. As for circumsision, God made man in His image, and although boys were called to be circumsized in the Jewish Law with Christ death that all changed. This is a decent post that explains some of my feelings and gives Biblical references concerning circumision: http://voices.yahoo.com/circumcision-bible-christian-parents-should-575491.html. I won't go into detail on the topic here.
Attachment Parenting/Gentle Discipline/No “Cry-it-Out” sleep training/Babywearing/Co-sleeping: There are lots of things grouped here, but they all come down to the same theories: children are designed to be an integrated part of the family. Jesus called children to him when he was teaching, he did not send them away. That is what all of the above topics do: they bring children closer to their parents and family. They build attachments, confidence, love, a feeling of security, togetherness, forgiveness, and thoughtfulness on both the parents’ and child’s part. We aren’t always the best at all of these things, and every kid has different needs and ways of learning, but we try our best and we learn from each other.
Natural foods/non-vaxing/chemical free cleaning/essential oils: The Bible teaches of being mindful of what you put in your body, and all of the above touch on that subject. We have been given this vessel as a way to worship God, and we are entrusted with keeping it healthy. By limiting our exposure to harmful chemicals and unnatural foods/consumables, and instead taking advantage of his wonderful creation of natural substances we can decrease our chances of illnesses, cancers, and all sorts of harmful diseases. And when we do come down with the sickies, we can look again to His creating for healing. Thanks to my sister, we finally got the push we needed to get started using essential oils (and we're loving them!).
Cloth Diapering/Limiting paper and plastic products/composting: On the same note as the previous group, this group has to do with being good stewards of God’s creation. Our family has really tried to limit our “trash.” We cloth diaper for financial reasons (being good stewards of our money) and to keep our portion of thousands of diapers out of landfills! We try to use cloth rags and towels instead of paper towels (we still keep some on hand, but try to use cloth first), and compost anything we can to use in what will be our garden this spring! God created the earth and gave man the weighty responsibility of tending to it. These are just some small ways that our family has tried to do our job in being mindful of how these precious resources He has made are handled.
That’s about as short as I can make it. I’ve been thinking about how all of these aspects of my life go hand and hand, and I feel that for the first time my everyday way of life gels so much more with my beliefs. It’s a good feeling.
My favorite "hippy!"
