everyday choices

It seems like every few years I am a new person. I look back over the last two and see that our day to day lives have changed so darn much. Even just looking back six months I find that life is incredibly different today than it was. Humans are built with a need to learn, evolve and grow. I wonder how much we are like the Lord in that way.
I have noticed lately that with knowledge and passion comes a tendency to do one of two things: accept the person I am and not hide, or completely hide. In my effort to never judge another for his or her decisions I usually keep quiet about most of what I believe unless asked. This is a fairly new thing for me... I used to blast any new found information as loudly as possible upon learning it. Now I am the opposite. I am okay with others thinking that I am peculiar, that the way Chris and I are doing things is extreme, pointless, or wrong. I am even okay with keeping my mouth shut when another person says something I know to be wrong... isn't that something! For the first time realizing that what I "know" is a gift and it's not to be used to correct other's mistakes. The Lord is releasing me to let mistakes happen... mine and everyone else's too.
We do everything differently. We are a part of an organic community that expresses the Lord. We try to remain healthful and eat healthy so that when illness comes our bodies will fight it to the best of their abilities. We homeschool, but even among the homeschoolers do it a little different as we do not tell our children what they must learn and when, but see their strengths and cater to what they are interested in. We believe that if we eliminate toxins in small amounts over a period of a lifetime, that our children will have a good shot at not getting cancer when they are older.
These beliefs are a little different and I try not to talk about them unless asked. I find that sometimes we get judged. I am completely aware of everything I do for my family from the types of fabric and candles in my home all the way to the bigger decisions, like not eating food sprayed with pesticides.
The Lord created us to eat food that could be found in the original "garden". We were not created to eat food that's been microwaved or cooked on Teflon(which is a poison). Everything a human needs to survive can be found in a garden. Adam and Eve are proof. Over the years we have gotten so far from eating whole foods that it seems extreme to do so. But we weren't designed to live off designer foods. That doesn't mean we can't do it, just that we weren't designed to perform at our best while eating these types of foods. So we eat fake foods and then expect the Lord to care for our health, which He does despite our bad decisions. To me it is similar to when I was a heroin addict. I knew the Lord would protect me despite my efforts to consume a harmful drug. I asked Him to and He did, but my body would have been a lot better if I wasn't using heroin.
These are facts to me, truths that shape how I run my household. I would never, ever judge a mom that 1) didn't know these things and did things differently or 2) that did have this knowledge, but chose to run her house differently. I know that healthy people have always come off a little judge-y to me even though I have been one for the better part of 10 years. What I am learning is that just like with being a christian, there are those that judge me and my lifestyle.
And I don't want to be angry with anyone for it. It occurred to me the other day that a big part of choosing to live differently means choosing to let go of anger. It also means that I don't have to defend my choices(that's what my blogs are for anyway). I have a wonderful group of friends and family that accepts my strangeness and embraces me. Sometimes I get asked questions out of curiosity, but I never get judged for it... at least I don't think I do;). People are more important than being right. It has only been through the grace of God that I have learned this.
While we can't control whether or not others will judge us for the choices we make, we can decide to be okay with how others live. It's okay if someone feeds their child a fast food burger. My child will be healthier physically, but I am learning that I don't need to point it out. The truth can seem judgemental at times. Just ask any non-christian on earth. Hopefully I didn't jump around too much as I wrote today. My thoughts were back and forth as I wrote and I just needed an outlet for them. As always, thank you for reading.
Love and Sunshine,
Jackie