With all the discussion of bullying taking place, and the attention focusing on gay/lesbian teens and their struggle in the world today, I feel as though I must say something.
As a parent, I feel that I am predisposed to LOVE my children. There are many things they do that might annoy me in my weakest moments. How they yell and demand, as I'm hunched over the toilet praying for the end of morning sickness. But I am built to love them, no matter what. I find the parents that torture and demean their children repugnant, and purely disgusting. There is no excuse to dismiss your child, be they 2 years old, or 22 years old.
All the more though, as a Christ follower, I am predisposed to love all people. It is beyond my right and responsibility as a such, to judge, demean, criticize, and push any gay or lesbian person into that feeling of desparation that so many find themselves. It is my joy and my responsibility to love wrecklessly, each person, for who they are. It is my honor to support and spend time in community with all of the children God loves, and He does love them all.
I ache for anyone who feels lost and alone, and yearn for the souls that find themselves questioning the value of life, and whether theirs is worth living at all. It tears me up inside to think that people could even wonder that at all. While I myself, despite the circumstances I have been thrown into, have never even thought of suicide as an option, I break for those who do. When will we as Christ followers see that it is our responsibility to stop the hate and promote love?
