"She could not save her soul by burying her spirit"

I'm reading the book Dance, Children, Dance by Jim Rayburn III right now.

It's about his parents, Jim & Maxine Rayburn, the founders of Young Life.

So far, I have wanted to read and re-read every chapter. I think I'm going to have to read this book a million time before I can truly appreciate every word.

The Rayburn's story is incredible. I love it because it isn't one of those that makes living a Christian life look like a fairy tale.

There is no sugarcoating, no jumping over the messy facts, it's just the truth.

They had a beautiful life. By no means was it an easy life, but they did so many incredible things with their time on this earth.

The Rayburn's had their fair share of troubles. One of them being Maxine's depression and drug addiction (told you it wasn't easy).

Maxine had grown up with a strong will & free spirit, but once she got involved in "the church" she felt as if she had to be proper like the other pastor's wives.

She stopped dancing and wearing makeup, she changed the way she did her hair and what clothes she chose to wear.

She missed the fact that being a believer was about freedom, not religious rules.

She became so lost in the religion of Christianity that she was no longer herself.

Jim Rayburn wrote about his mother, "She could not save her soul by burying her spirit".

I think it's important to keep one's spirit intact.

Like Shakespeare said, "To thine own self be true".

Think of all the kids Maxine could have reached out to through her own quirky spirit if she hadn't gotten caught up in religious restrictions! Kids are drawn to extraordinary people! People who are not afraid to be themselves, people who are a little wacky. I would know, because as a few of my friends constantly remind me, I'm weird!

None of us can "save our souls by burying our spirits".

Christianity is not about adhering to a slew of rules and regulations.

Being a believer is supposed to save you from confinement like that! Christ wants us to be ourselves, not squelch the unique person he created us to be.

I hate that most of the world thinks that to be a Christian you have to be dull.

Sooooo not true!

It's a heart thing.

It's a love thing.

It's a life changing--reason to wake up in the morning--fills you full of life thing.

It should enhance your spirit, not crush it.

"So be who you are as created by God. In prayer say your own word, sing your own song, and be true to it." -John Eagan