I am always hesitant to say or do anything that will rock the boat or start a divisive conversation. But I think its only fair that if I’m an openly proud Christian, I should be equally vocal about my opinion on “controversial” issues. So here’s my jumbled thoughts on #nationalcomingoutday. Sure, gay people are not living life exactly according to how God intended or instructed. But I’ll be the first to admit, neither am I. I’m completely imperfect, broken at times, and consistently make mistakes. My sin is no better or more holy than yours, because that’s simply impossible. The coolest thing about Christianity, though, is that God loves me anyway, despite so many flaws. Everytime I walk, run, or sprint away from Him and into a sinful world full of bad decisions, he chases me down more intensely than before and quietly whispers “I am here, and I still love you”. Over and over again, until I finally listen. He doesn’t give up or say “well now she’s really done it....” he continues to love and pursue me until I choose to hear the whisper. His love did not come with a caveat, like “I love you but only if you make good choices and do exactly as I said” or “I love you but you need to be better”. In fact, He explicitly showed love to those who made the wrong choice. That’s simply who He was. Jesus didn’t come to save those who already knew Him. He came for the broken, the hurting, the criminals. He came for the tax collectors, the unloveable, the “least of these”. He came for the lepers, and showed them love amongst those refused to do so. He is the KING of unpopular opinions and controversial decisions. He loved to rock the boat in order to save those who were deemed “unlovable”. He was mocked for what He did, and ridiculed for who He loved. But He did it anyway. What if, instead of trying to “pray away the gay” we as Christians decided instead to pray FOR the gay and agree to walk alongside them lovingly and patiently as Jesus himself once did? And not because we want them to change, but because we want them to experience His pure and real love. Christianity has nothing to do with loving other Christians, and everything to do with radically loving everyone the way Jesus did, without caveats, without judgment, without pointing fingers. Why? Because it’s what Jesus would do.
“Oh Jesus, friend of sinners Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours”