Stand a Little Rain

Yesterday, I learned the status of the DOMA bill.  I immediately logged off of Facebook and Twitter, and I turned off the TV.  I knew what was coming next because I know enough about our society.  I made the grave mistake of participating in such heated trolling after this past Presidential Election.  So this time, I just avoided it all together.

Where I stand on the issue of same sex marriage is probably the most insignificant thing in the world.  But where I stand on how I look at my fellow human being is very relevant and of the utmost importance.  I used to see things as black and white only.  You were either just like me, or you weren’t.  Boy, was I narrow minded…

Today I look at people through a different lens.  I try to look at people the way Jesus Christ looks at people.  And let me go ahead and break the hearts of some of you people who could probably qualify for immediate membership at Westboro Baptist Church…  My Savior does not hate homosexuals.  If you call Him your Savior, but tell others that He hates the ones He suffered and died for… you should probably be shaking in your boots.

But, when it comes to love, we like to pick and choose.  We like to try and dictate who we (and everyone else) should and shouldn’t be around.  We created the term “homophobia” (which is incorrectly used more often than not.  A phobia is a fear, hate is totally different.)  But this morning, I heard the term heterophobia for the first time.  Good grief…

But, as a Christian I am often told that I am not allowed to associate with a gay person.  Some of these same people tell me that as a white man, I am not to support my President.  People… please!

One of my favorite song lyrics ever says “If we’re ever gonna see a rainbow, we have to stand a little rain.”  That statement holds so much truth.  Nothing we have ever accomplished in life that was worth anything at all ever came easy.

The storm will rock you hard if you let it.  Whether you are for or against what the Supreme Court feels is the best for our Nation, the fact is that you’ll enjoy the storm so much more if you will just realize that you’ll most likely be alright when the clouds turn from dark to white.

Yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court… I look at it as an opportunity to practice civility.  To learn to love.  If haters could learn to love the ones they hate the way that lovers love the ones they love… we could all change the world.

What you want the most will come with a price tag attached to it.  But if it means enough to you, it’ll be priceless, and you will never stop until it’s within your reach.  That’s what yesterday was about to me.  But that was yesterday.  This is today.  Today, it’s time to teach each other how to love.  There’s a rainbow above us, and it means different things to different people.  See it as you will.  But, understand that it didn’t appear without a little rain.

Christians, please… GROW UP!

This is a topic that I have never wanted to take on, but recent events have proven that the time is now.

First, I would like to go on record about something that no human being should ever be forced to go on…  I am a heterosexual male.  This is how I have always considered myself to be, and I have never in my life had any desire for any other orientation.  This is how I was created by God the Father, and the Lord does not make mistakes.  I make choices that determine my future, but I am who I was created to be.

That being said, I would like to talk about something that has rattled and divided our country recently, and that is our President announcing that he supports the right for homosexuals to marry those of the same sex.  When the announcement was put into place, at least for a split second, racism no longer existed… because Americans now had something ELSE to replace it with.

Forums, Twitter pages, and Facebook timelines lit up with support, opposition, and hatred for the subject.  It was one of the only things being talked about.  From what I saw, there was very little gray area.  If you knew about it, you either fully supported it, or you fully hated it.  I ran into very few people who said “Oh well, it’s none of my business.”

I would also like to go on the record about one more thing… I am a Christian.  I follow Jesus Christ, and the bible tells us to love our enemies.  And it is conclusive with it.  It doesn’t give a list of things that we are to take into consideration before we love someone.  It tells us to LOVE PEOPLE.  It DOES tell us that we are to hate sin, but it NEVER tells us to hate SINNERS.  I personally know Christians that would appear to hate sinners more than they hate Satan himself.

Well Christians, let me let you in on something… You will NEVER reach the lost if you hate them.  And another thing… if you hate sinners, you ARE the lost.  Sin is sin… stop categorizing it!

Let’s take two people… Person A, and Person B…  Person A is a liar and a thief, and Person B is a liar, a thief, and a homosexual.  Typically, Christians will spend all day telling Person A that he is a liar and a thief, while they only tell Person B that is he is… a homosexual.  No, he is a sinner… he is lost.  They both are.  Person B just has a trait that makes a lot of Christians more uncomfortable than Person A.  They’ll tell Person B that he was not born that way, and that it is a choice, but won’t stick around him long enough to tell him the answer.

“Well, there’s no such thing as a gay Christian.”  Ok, if you want to use that argument, please understand that there are also no Christian liars, and there are no Christian thieves, and there are no Christian fornicators…  See, you’re wrong again.  LIFE IS A JOURNEY.  If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the change is gradual.  It’s not immediate.  I know this because I still struggle with sin every day.  My best friends are Christians, and THEY struggle with something every day.  We all mess up!  Why are homosexuals not changeable, according to you?  Are you gonna tell me that God can’t do it?  Go ahead, I DARE YOU…  Tell GOD that.  I DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU!

“You sound mad right now.”  I am mad!  We live in a culture where people are dying and busting hell wide open EVERY DAY, while we run from sinners.  You keep running Christians, and you might just be joining them!  “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”  We’ve heard that before, but what does it mean?  How do you do it?  LOVE.  You can love people as Christ loves them.  See them through His eyes.  He doesn’t hate them, he hates their sin.

Are you a heaven hogger?  Have you turned heaven into your own personal elite country club that is available to others through YOUR invitation only?  It doesn’t work that way.  GOD is in control, and He has instructed us to preach the good news of Christ to ALL creations.  Yeah, please remember that God created ALL humans, including the ones who took a path that is different than the one we are on.  They are humans, and they are God’s creation.  You’ll never show them the love and grace of Christ as long as you run from them.

Got hate mail?  Post it.  I’ll read it.  I might even respond to it, who knows…  This is very serious, you guys.  The President does things every day that we disagree with… Wednesday’s announcement should come as no surprise at all.  If you’re a Christian, it should be a call to action… not to stop the President, because if that were even possible, we’d all have jobs and gas in our tank for 2 bucks a gallon.  Christians should be attacking the sin.

It IS possible.  Many people have been delivered from the sin of homosexuality many years ago, and are still followers of Christ today.   Do your homework, read the bible, prepare scripture, and use it as your loving weapon against sin.  Note that I said “loving.”  If you don’t approach this with love, it cannot work, and it makes you no different than other sinners.  It’s the truth.  Let get to work.