I am also a Christian. So, I know that I am a horrible person and I know that I'm a sinner. And the beautiful thing? I also know that I am forgiven! I am the daughter of a King that loves me very much. God knew that I was a sinner a long time ago. Before I was even born. And He sent His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross and take away my sins. By grace I have been saved, not by my own works. This is so comforting to know. Out of all of the awful things that I have done in my life, I am still saved. I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. I believe that He paid the ultimate price for me on that cross. And that it is my job as a Christian to accept the glorious love of Christ, and to share the message and the promise of hope with my fellow human beings.
It is not my job to point out other peoples' sins. It is not my job to condemn others for their choices. It is not my business to know what my friends and family do in terms of sinning. It is not my job to worry about the sins of others. All I can do is share with them the good news that they are forgiven! They are loved! And, if they choose to accept it, there is a place for them in heaven.
We, as Christians, do a terrible job of this, in my opinion. And never has this truth been more prevalent to me than in the last couple days when the Supreme Court of the United States of America repealed the laws banning same-sex marriages. My Facebook page has been blown up with two very different camps. There are those that are celebrating with the LBGT community in their victory. And there are those that are condemning the decision and calling this as a sign that Jesus is coming back again soon. I have read comment after comment, post after post from a whole lot of people. And I am saddened by what I see. People are so mean to each other. People are saying horrible, terrible things about fellow human beings. This isn't what Jesus asked us, as Christians, to do. This isn't how I picture Jesus wanting us to behave towards each other.
What do I believe? People want to know which side of the fence you sit in. People want to know. Are you a supporter of the decision? Do you think it's right? Do you paste your Facebook page with rainbows and celebrate equality? Or do you believe in the preservation of marriage as one man and one woman? Do you quote Bible passages and point out their sinful ways and demand them to repent!
Why do I have to be on either side of the fence? Why can't I just sit on the fence and show both sides love? Offer them my hope and prayers for the future.
Where do I stand? I believe in marriage as the union of one man and one woman. That many times in the Bible God spoke of a woman leaving her parents and joining her husband. So what does this mean for me when I hear the Supreme Court has allowed homosexual couples to marry? Do I grab my pitchfork and torch and go after them? So I eye "them" evilly just knowing they're going to turn my friends and family gay? No. It means that I love them. And pray for them. I don't judge, as it is not my place. I don't hate. They are not impacting me and my life. I just love them and pray for them. Why on earth would I do that? Do I have any idea how God feels about them? Yes! God loves them! God loves them so much that He already sent His son to die on the cross for their sins. All of them. And all of mine too. For we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. Thank goodness for such a loving and forgiving God! I only hope that we can be good models of Him as we Christians walk through this life, and especially this time in our society.
Sadly, I have seen many that are not choosing this opportunity to love and witness to the masses. I happened to be around some people when they found out the ruling. The words I heard from them broke my heart. Derrogatory names. Hate and unkind words. It was so disturbing to me that I excused myself to another room and I cried. My heart broke as the scene echoed in my head. People that are strong Christians, people that worship God and are devout in their faith, were saying horrible, appalling things. And all I could think about was what if you were talking to or about Jesus?
Who did Jesus hang out with? Prostitutes. Tax collectors. Liars. Cheats. He knew that these were the people that needed Him the most! Sinners! Like all of us. Sinners! And I realize that there is a fine line I am dancing around here as I try not to judge the Christians that were judging others. The bottom line? As a Christian...as a sinner...I believe it is my calling to witness to others. Am I to walk up to a gay couple and point out their wrong doings? Proclaim to them that gay marriage is a sin and that they are signing themselves up for eternal damnation for their actions? I will not do this! For I too am a sinner. And I believe that I serve a kind, loving Father who loves me dearly. My God forgives my lying. He forgives my cheating. He forgives me when I squash spiders. And He forgives others who sin. He forgives the homosexual who enters into marriage with another of the same sex. And He loves all of the sinners listed above. He loves them more than anything.
Is it my job to judge? No. It is not, for I am just as guilty of atrocities as the next person. It is my job to love. And it is my job to pray. Matthew 22:36-40 states the greatest commandment of all: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Love! It is our job to love. So I will love them. And I will pray for them. And I will know that it is not my job to judge anyone.
Why did I have such a strong emotional reaction? One person said, "If you have that strong of a reaction to this topic, then you should probably keep quiet about it." So that was what I did. I went to another room and wept. I didn't say anything to the people that were using horrible words. But I cried because I have students I have worked with that I worry about meeting this sort of attitude. I have little boys that don't feel like little boys. And I have little girls that don't feel like little girls. They come to me sad and confused and not sure what to do. And my hearts breaks for them because I know that they will meet people like the ones that I encountered. They will struggle their whole lives with their questioning. They will walk through life feeling alone and unsupported, only to have someone, a Christian perhaps, call them a "fairy" or point out that they are sinning and are an abomination to God. And I weep for them. I weep for my children, both at work and in my home. Life is hard enough without being ripped apart and torn down by others. This issue goes so much deeper than this topic. People are just mean and rude and so intolerant. You don't have to agree with gay marriage! I don't! But I'm still going to love and respect those that do. Love one another! The greatest commandment of all! Hate the sin, but love the sinner! All sinners...liars. Cheaters. Murderers. And yes, even homosexuals. For we are all fighting battles. We are all trying desperately to navigate this world and to deal with everything that life throws at us. Atrocities and heartbreak, cancer and suicide, awful terrible things all around us. We are all fighting battles. Let's let the battles person to person be one less battle to worry about. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. I hope that someone uses this phrase when they are publicly shaming me for my sins. Because I am a sinner! I do horrible, terrible things. Everyday, I do something that goes against God's word. Every. Single. Day. And yet, I am saved! I think that my friends and family still think I'm an ok person. And I don't ask that you hear my lying and think it's ok. I wouldn't want you to condone me stealing if you knew that I was stealing. But you know what I would hope for? Rather than publicly shaming me and calling me a horrible name, I would hope that you would love me. Hold me close in your heart, love me, and pray for me.
What an opportunity we have to witness to others, every day! We can choose to be a shining example of Christ's love and simply love others! Be kind. For we are all fighting battles...
No comments:
Post a Comment