If you know me, you know I am a teacher. For the most part we are a liberal lot, so when the Supreme Court handed down its decision on marriage last week, many colleagues that I love and respect swathed their Facebook profiles in rainbows, while I, well, I did not.
I experienced a moment of pain. I was a kid again, feeling left out of the group. I wondered what they would think of my rainbow-free profile. I wondered if they were shaking their heads in dismay. If I'm painfully honest with you, I'm still wondering.
I have friend, relatives and students who embrace homosexuality and who believe the High Court did the right thing in legalizing gay marriage. I love them every one, but on this topic, we have to agree to disagree. I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage. And so, like the cheese, I may find myself standing alone from time to time, but stand I will because Jesus said if I was ashamed of Him, that He would be ashamed of me, and I choose not to allow that to happen.
You see, I'm a broken little cookie. (Notice the present tense. I'm a work in progress.) Once upon a time I was immersed in my own version of sexual sin, and let me tell you friends, it was not a happy place for me. I was so terrified of being alone, that I embraced a cheaper, imitation version of God's plan, and it did not bring me joy. It brought me guilt. And shame. And sadness. Jesus saved me from all that, and He is truly the only One who could. My gratitude for His rescue means there's nothing He could ask that He isn't due.
But from what I read, sexual sin is no different than any other type of sin because sin is all about rebellion. It's man saying, "Sorry, God. I know you created me and all, but I think this way will work better for me." Oh, I know. We don't say it out loud. But we might as well because our actions speak ever so much louder than our words.
And this may come as a surprise to some, but we live in a world that is cursed by sin. It's so bad the Apostle John used "the world" as a metaphor to represent everything that is against God. And Jesus said that "the world" hated Him and so will hate us as well. They were hating us before the Supreme Court's decision, and they will hate us afterward and in increasing measure as time goes on and as society continues to "normalize" behaviors that the Word speaks against. Some believe this is the beginning of new era of persecution for the church. They may be right.
So what do we do? Do we throw our hands in the air and quit? Nope. Wail against the government? Nope (although praying for our leaders is a pretty good idea). Show our dismay in antagonistic ways? Nope.
We love. We love one another and hold one another accountable as Christians. We love the lost and give them a picture of Jesus in us - meek, kind, humble, compassionate, but strong in what we believe. We love them because He loved us when we were broken cookies, every one of us.
School will start again in six weeks or so and by that time, the court's decision will probably receive little more attention that any of the others on the books and profile pictures will have returned to normal. Society's attention span is pretty short after all. But me, I may be standing apart from time to time because I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, but I'll never be standing alone because the God of angel armies is by my side. I pray that He'll open my eyes to see them there, surrounding me like they did Elijah, and infuse me with His love. I pray that even when persecution comes my way, and it will, I can meet it like He did and bring Him the glory He is due.
