LOVE

My heart has been called to speak.  The past few days I’ve struggled with how to best articulate my thoughts on the issue of marriage in a thoughtful and respectful way.  Not to condemn or to judge, but to proclaim and rejoice.  So, after prayer God has given me counsel:  *[Jesus] has given me reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of love.

But I walk in integrity; redeem me and have mercy on me.  My foot stands on level ground; in the assemblies I will bless the Lord.  Psalm 26:11-12

It is my belief that marriage is a holy sacrament meant to join one man and one woman.  (Now, hold on and hear me out, please).

The idea that two people that love and care about each other and have chosen to spend their lives together and raise a family together is an admirable one to me.   I know the difficulties couples face on a daily basis and I know adding challenges of any kind only increases the hard work that goes into keeping a couple and/or a family secure.  I appreciate any couple that makes the effort it takes to be faithful, to work through hardships and to provide a loving home to a child.  I think it is fair that those couples be subject to the same benefits in insurance, taxes and such.  However, this doesn’t change my belief that the sacrament of marriage is a covenant established by God for joining together a man and a woman.

Over the last few days I’ve seen so many statements for and against the Supreme Court ruling on marriage.  It really does hurt my heart to see what division this has caused among people in our country.  I don’t think that standing up in favor of the ruling makes you a “demon” any more than speaking out in opposition makes you a “bigot.”  The word “hate” has been used so much it makes my eyes hurt.

Tolerance.  The dictionary defines tolerance as the ability or willingness to tolerate something , in particular the existence of opinions or behavior that one does not necessarily agree with.  But I feel like we would be remissed to leave out that tolerance is a two way street.  And, tolerance doesn’t mean condone.  I’ve seen a lot of condemning those that don’t approve or sanction one’s beliefs or feelings.  In either direction, that’s not right and it’s not showing love on any level.

I sincerely believe that love never fails and I hope – and am confident – it will win here and now.  Not necessarily what each of us believes love should look like, because those things are clearly so different.  But what God says love IS. 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.   It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  1Corinthians 13:4-7

For all my brothers and sisters with worry over this time in our world, those feeling unaccepted and judged – no matter which perspective you are looking from, I ask you to increase your faith and I offer you this:

He replied, “you of little faith, why are you so afraid?”  Then he got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and it was completely calm.  Matthew 8:26

*RegnumChristi.org, June 30, 2015