Why I Decided to put a Rainbow around my Avatar

Today, I'm writing to my friends who are non-affirming of the LGBTQ community. I've been raised in a church culture that is VERY DEFINITE about what it believes. There was always a very clear delineation between what we considered to be 'right' and 'wrong'.

One of the clearest things was regarding sexuality. There was only one type of 'right' sexuality and that was between one man and one woman. Period. This description is widely considered to be the one and only way that the Christian God was seen to have designed human sexuality.

To be honest, I'm still wrestling with how to see all of that. There is a great deal of theology written about this, primarily using only 6 passages from Scripture as being 'clearly' against anything other than the above description. If you want to delve into this topic, you might find a good starting point in this article by Sarah Bessey, complete with additional references.

I'm not here to say to anyone what the best way to view human sexuality is because, along with Lauren Daigle, I realize that I have way more questions than I have answers.  I think there are a whole lot of theologians on a wide range of 'sides' of this issue who have a deep love for both God and people and if they can't fully figure it out, how can I expect to be definitive about it.

But this one thing I know. God LOVES.

God loves people, who He has created (whether through traditional creation or evolutionary or creation or whatever other way you view origins).

God loves people who do things outside of His design. This much is clear by the fact that he loves any of us at all. Why? Because we ALL walk very much outside of anything resembling perfection. Every. Single. Day.

I've come to believe that God isn't spending time pointing out the specific ways that we don't quite measure up, even though we are inclined to spend lots of time doing that. Rather.......

God LOVES

And I believe I should too.

And that means standing with my LGBTQ siblings in solidarity and saying that whether or not I can say anything at all for certain about human sexuality, I know that LOVE is meant to lead my own thoughts and actions. And I know that, even if you do believe LGBTQ people are in sin, pointing out one group's assumed 'shortcomings' and saying they are worse than the shortcomings of pretty much every other group is not the way I see God LOVE people EVER.

Does that leave me feeling entirely comfortable? No. 

Should you be entirely comfortable? I don't know.

But should you and I stand with ALL the people and declare that they are precious, whole, beautiful and loved by the God who made them and that we hope they will be able to look at us and say the same thing? I think so.

Honestly, I'm embarrassed at the way I have been so blind about this particular issue. I've said and done things that are deeply hurtful to people I love and I want to stop. Even as I type this, I wonder in how many ways am I blundering and causing further hurt. I know it's not perfect. I do know that it's honest. I ask forgiveness of those who've been hurt by my attitudes in the past and who will continue to feel hurt by my continued awkward navigation of how to think about LGBTQ issues. I'm still trying to learn and I know I have much more learning to do.

And so, I've got a PRIDE rainbow around my face because I want LGBTQ people to know that I see them and I'm trying to Love them well and I hope that one small act will be a tiny bit of good in the world.