When the World Laughs

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

Not gonna lie, I’m feeling a bit, well, dejected at the moment. Deeply.

Nothing superficial – no boy drama or insecurities about how I look. No, this is character-level.

In the past 24 hours, I feel as though I’ve been the butt end of two very bad jokes.

Episode 1:

Allow me to set the stage:

It doesn’t matter how long you live in NYC, there is always something new and interesting to do. Another pocket of culture to discover. Another hidden gem just waiting to be explored.

And last night, I found myself in one of those places.

I went to a comedy club.

I know. These are not new. News Flash: They’re all over the country.

Yeah, thanks.

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But I’ve actually never been to live stand up comedy before. And, to be completely honest, I was bracing myself for some seriously raunchy material, and I was actually pleasantly surprised. All things considered, it was actually pretty tame. In fact, I would take my mother.

But there was a “bit” that really, well…it hit me….in the gut.

One of the comedians that evening (there were a bunch…it was amateur night…) was this absolutely gorgeous man. Oh my gosh, tall, blonde, well put together. And the first thing out of his mouth was, “So I’m a virgin.”

Silence. Uncomfortable silence. The room didn’t know whether to laugh or scoff or just look at each other and go, “Is he freakin’ serious?”

He went on to poke fun at himself for the next several minutes and, once they realized he was serious, people got more and more boisterous with their laughs .

And, yes, I was laughing too. But I wasn’t laughing at him like the rest of the crowd. I was laughing at just the head-shakingly/eye-rollingly/exasperatingly absurd degree of preoccupation and stigmatization over virginity.

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My virginity, for better or for worse, is no secret on this blog. I’m not ashamed of it. Not that I parade that info around in my day-to-day, but it’s deeply part of who I am, and it’s not something I’m going to compromise. Not until my wedding night.

But I’m just so done with virginity being the butt end of a joke. And here, tonight, I was literally smacked in the face with it being a bit in a stand up set.

It’s not stupid. It’s beautiful.

So that was episode #1 where part of who I deeply am, was just flat out laughed at.

Episode #2….is a little harder to talk about. Because…it’s slightly “political.”

But basically, in the WikiLeaks that came out tonight, it was found that the Clinton’s camp just bashed Christians – and Catholics in particular, calling it a “bastardization of faith” and a “dictatorship” with “severely backwards gender relations.” (And I promise that’s as political as this piece is going to get.)

But in literally the span of less than 24 hours, two of my most deeply identifying characteristics: my faith and my virginity, were blatantly laughed at and touted as moronic and out-of-touch.

And I know, these examples weren’t hurled at me personally, but they might as well have been.

But I’m going to be really honest – I couldn’t shake the feeling of just being all alone.

Like, Am I a huge joke? Am I just a walking freak show? A laughing stock just hanging out to dry? What’s wrong with me? 


But then I remembered this quote from John 18 where Jesus says: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first…You do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you…If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” 

Listen, I’m not trying to do some Beyonce dance about Runnin’ the World, like, “Oh I’m the chosen one, Jesus chose me, I’m holier than thou, blah blah blah.” 

No. Helllll to the no.

What I’m trying to say is that, we were not made for this world.

Everything happening on the news, yeah-it’s pretty bleak. Because this isn’t Heaven.

This world will try us, laugh at us, discourage us, bully us – just look at Jesus.

My virginity is no laughing matter. And my faith is most certainly not a laughing matter.

These deeply held beliefs and values I have do not make me a moron, or someone with “severely backwards” thinking. It doesn’t mean I should be wearing an ankle length skirt with orthopedic shoes, either.

These beliefs and values make me who I am. They make me Whose I am.

And one final note. To address the “severely backwards gender relations” of the church, mentioned in the Clinton camp emails, I would invite you to read my reflection on the Feminine Genius. I just found out it got shared 88 times on Facebook, so apparently it resonated with a few people. Just wanted to set the record straight on the actual gender relations of the “dictatorship” that is Catholicism. *eyeroll*

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Signing off for tonight.

Goodnight loves

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376 thoughts on “When the World Laughs”

  1. I’m not a verfin, however… I’m 10 years celibate. Both faith and sex are very personal issues to me. I can totally see where you’re coming from. However… Know that you are a light and a major encouragement! Stand steonf. Verginity is a precious and beautiful gift. L

    Liked by 1 person

  2. God must be smiling down on you. I loved it when my daughter shared she was saving herself for marriage and she did all the way through college. I know all about the Christianity thing and it doesn’t shock me, but it hurts. I’m a Baptist. We are all in this together as Christians. It’s sad you and I have to be embarrassed, but the only one we have to please is our Savior.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much for this beautiful response. You’re right-the only one we have to please is Jesus. Amen to that! And so beautiful what your daughter shared with you:) thanks for stopping by! Hope you’re having a great night! Hugs and love xox

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      1. you too, have a great day…
        Do not forget to follow my blog, sometimes, I will write my article uses English, my story might be a inspiration to your stories later…
        Warm regard from Indonesia

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  6. Girl you just made my smile day lol I’m so glad you read my post and liked it. I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I love it. Thank you for being so honest and real with us. Keep going strong in your faith, I know God has great plans for you! ❤️😊 I love you!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Don’t sweat it or take it personally. As I tell my son: Just because someone says so, doesn’t make it true. You do you. Wear your virginity with pride, it is a part of who you are as a person. Yet, it was just a joke. We have lots of sexual hangups in this country – and really it’s nobody’s business. In that vein, I feel Clinton’s private emails are nobody’s business either. If anyone were to get a hold of my emails, or take a string of my Facebook posts and publish them – how would they be misconstrued? You can still be offended as a catholic, but I would take anything from Fox News with a grain of salt. Hillary is a christian, she is Methodist not catholic, but she does have faith. Yet it shouldn’t matter. She or whoever commented can have their beliefs, and you can have totally different beliefs. Neither invalidates the other.

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    2. Hi there! Thank you so much for this reflection. You’re right – You do you. THat’s one of my favorite sayings of all time. And it applies to pretty much everything, including both things here. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and I definitely respect each person’s viewpoint. But so true, at the end of the day, we’ve just gotta love everyone, as they do their own thing. 🙂 thanks for stopping by! hugs and love xox

      Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes 🙂 Christians sure are confused aren’t they? I just posted an article on my welcome page (link to complete article) by Fr Richard Rorh, I love what he has to say about Jesus, religion and spirituality. Forward thinking, wise man. – I was brought up Protestant and converted due to ex-h.

        Liked by 1 person

  10. When I was a single and lonely virgin, I was praying about finding someone, and I felt like God told me that he wanted me all to Himself for awhile – kind of like, “let me enjoy my kid all to Myself before you go off and marry someone.” That was when I was a Protestant, and now that I’m Catholic, I see it all the more. I mean, I love being married, but my kids go to a Catholic school where there are these young, vibrant, happy nuns. They are absolutely in love with God and in love with serving Him. The world doesn’t get it, but we do. And I’m sure you believe this, too, but I’m thankful that I waited for marriage till I had sex – incredibly thankful.
    On a side note, holy cow! How do you read all these comments?! 🙂 Wait to go on making an incredibly popular website.

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    1. Thank you so much for this reflection. What a sweet way to look at that time with God. So powerful. And wow that is so beautiful about the nuns. Thanks for sharing your story. It’s nice to know I’m not alone 🙂 and haha thanks! Yeah they come to my phone so I can just answer them on the go! 🙂 Hugs and love xox

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  15. Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

    Sounds like your suffering for the right reasons! Continue to stay strong in the faith, sounds like your doing great! God Bless!

    1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.”

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  16. I love this. I am glad that I happened across your blog. Your story because there is power. And, like you my faith means everything to me. If we don’t stand for something and my thing is my faith I will fall for anything. And, sadly many, many are walking out on their faith everyday at saddening numbers. Let us not be one

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  17. Girl you are on the right path! I know a lot of people that had to deal with countless regrets, guilt, worries and soul ties! Not to mention the scares of having possible stds or unwanted pregnancies. Please continue to hold your head and your standards high. One night is not worth a lifetime of pain. Keep holding on to your faith. He will reward you openly for what you do privately.

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  18. […] There this great blog I follow written by a young Christian women in here late twenty’s who struggled with and is recovering from anorexia. The blog talks about her journey of faith that led her through her own struggle with anorexia to a good place of health. In her most recent blog she talks about how she felt recently how the world was laughing at her. One of the things this young lady is proud of, is that she has remained a virgin and plans to do so till her wedding day. But when she went for the first time to a comedy club the first batch of jokes was all about virginity and archaic being a virgin and waiting till marriage was. Then she read about those leaked emails where it seemed like campaign managers where ridiculing the Catholic faith as out dated and misogynic. These two aspects of her Christianity that are very close to her heart- her virginity and her Catholic faith were being ridiculed. She struggled with that, should she meet those expectations, should she continue to follow God? (Read her article here) […]

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  19. We have to stand up for Jesus and others may learn to walk the path through example. I am a practicing Roman Catholic (mass 5 days a week) I do challenge the Catholic church on different topics. I am reconstructing my website and rewriting some articles (it will take time). I hope you find to visit after it has been redone and share your opinion. There is an issue with misogyny ♥ along with other issues. The Church does have to grow into this century in order to survive. Unfortunately, a group of men who live mostly behind closed walls with next to “0” real life experience *is* a problem in this century. Many of them are also aware of this fact. – I really do enjoy your blog. You do a great job getting your points across, in a mostly light manner. 😉 I get wordy.
    Blessings,
    Laurie

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  20. Sometimes I feel like the closer we get to God, the more alone we feel. As you said, this isn’t heaven, this isn’t our final destination. I think people mock what they don’t understand and in someways may be a little jealous of. We live in a world where sex is thrown around like candy, so to be able to say that you’re virgin takes a whole lot of discipline and dedication. People are going to poke fun at anything, and especially at a comedy club where they’ll say just about anything to get a laugh. Take anything you hear from those places with a grain of salt.

    And as far as religion goes, it’s man made so every religion will come with faults. I am a follower of Christ, even though I go to a Baptist Church. My relationship between He and I is the only thing that matters to me when it comes to religion. Don’t care what non-believers think, don’t care what other religions think, I care about He and I. That’s all. This world is going down the toilet drain quickly, and it’s pretty evident that it is. So keep your head up.

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  21. LOVE this post, fellow wordpresser! I’m a lifelong, devout member of the Mormon faith. It was wonderful to read your rock solid and spot on perspective on virginity and faith. You’ve got it right, and you’re not afraid to tell the world! Don’t ever let your voice be silenced. There are more with you than against you. God and His angels, they too rejoice!

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  22. I agree with you! We need more in this world to keep their virginity until marriage. Stay true to themselves. You are a rock and I am grateful I came across this.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. as you know already, I always LOVE & APPRECIATE your straight up honesty. When it comes to the armor of God, which ultimately I hope to wear out EVERYDAY, I have added a Cape: The Cape of Lovingkindness & Understanding. When something from the external world hurls itself at me and I think it’s going to sting…voila! I’ll flourish that sucker in a hurry, and I get all warm and fuzzy. I have now created a women’s size just for you! 😉

    Like

  24. Reblogged this on Inossi and commented:
    Some of my lifestyle choices are unideal (if that’s a word) in this world… and sometimes it seems that the world scorns at the things that you really value?
    I thought this post really spoke to me… So please enjoy the read

    Like

  25. Caralyn, there are so many things right with you! There are so many things deeply, sickeningly wrong with our culture, but there are so many things right with you! I love reading this blog, because it is such a safe place where you share your faith, and I can feel not-so-alone in my faith, too. As I was reading this post, I was thinking of the scripture passage from John, and then, there it was!!! One way that I think we know that we are on the narrow path is that the way is hard, and we find ourselves rejected and laughed at. Yet, God is with you! These are the experiences that test the faith, and in turning back to God, we grow stronger in faith, hope, and love. That is why St. Luke wrote in the Acts of the Apostles, that after the disciples were flogged by the Sanhedrin, “…they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.” I am encouraged and strengthened by your example of how put your heart into God’s hands in these situations. One final thought, since I’m in a very scriptural frame of mind today… “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). The road may be narrow and difficult, but it is less lonely when we encourage each other, so thank you once more for what you do.

    P.S. I really, REALLY love your gifs.

    P.P.S. I know you like podcasts (at least I think you do). Heard this one the other day, and it sort of fit with what you were writing about here. It’s about the mass readings from Oct 16 (Ex 17:8-13) https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bishop-robert-barrons-sermons/id75551187?mt=2&i=376567132

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    1. Hi Lulu, my goodness what a kind note. Thank you so much. What an eye opening passage. There’s always so much wisdom and guidance in His word. And I can’t wait to check out that podcast! You’re right– LOVEEEE a good podcast. Grateful for you friend. Hugs and love xox

      Liked by 1 person

  26. This is awesome! I felt the same way a few days ago! (Quick story: a boy looked back at me and just laughed at me and tried to make me feel like I should be dressing FOR him and so I can PLEASE others and do what the world would do.) I loved that you said “whose we belong to”. Thank you again for this post💙💙 -Micah

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      3. LOL. It’s a lot. But, I’m definitely trying to get through them. I have them sent to my email because I don’t want to miss anything. I’m encouraged by the posts of those I follow.

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  28. I saw you only had 364 comments on this post, and I don’t like that number. I much prefer 365–that is, 10^2 + 11^2 +12^2. So, anyway, writing…I have had to console myself often of the verses “Blessed are ye when men revile you and persecute you and speak all manner of evil against you falsely for my name’s sake–for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. And great shall be your reward.” As also, “Whoso loveth father or mother more than me or son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” As also, “whoso shall lose wife or mother or father for my sake shall receive, even an hundred-fold.” “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor revealed to heart of man how great things await those who wait for me.”

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  29. I know this post was published almost a year ago, but seeing it in your “Related” feed concerning your most recent adventure to a comedy club, it has a lost of valuable insight.

    I’m catholic, as well, and I have to admit I have not been as stoic about it as I needed to be throughout my life. I gave into the ridicule (truth be told, I participated in it a lot) of our faith and allowed it to be a contention between me and my relationship with Jesus…to the point where I had been actively rejecting it for many years and even tried to convince my wife that it was something “Bad”. Luckily, for me, her faith is stronger than my own, because she has been a great example in me trying to return to something so ‘totalitarian’ that I don’t feel forced back at all.

    Secondly, virginity is something so…hmmm… I screwed that up long before my wedding night and I can honestly say that I wish I could have presented it to my wife as she deserved. But with that in mind, I have always taught my sons, “The greatest gift you can give any girl you date, is allowing her to give her virginity to her husband on her wedding night”. I simply hope they listen to me…

    Anyways, I’m glad there are people like you still left in the world. 🙂

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      1. Don’t give me too much credit. Chances are I stole that from someplace and can’t remember where, because I’m really not that creative.

        And I’m making up for many, many, many of my own transgressions in life.

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