Rainbows and Grace

      Everywhere I look it seems, I see rainbows... Rainbows overlaying smiling faces,  rainbows as backgrounds as people embrace....Rainbows as profile pictures, and as flags, and as lights gleaming on our Capitol building. Honestly, it's pretty... and yet it's wrong. You have taken the symbol of promise God gave and have used it to celebrate sin. It feels odd to me that those beautiful rainbows make me sad.

          This has been a time of rejoicing for some - for others it's been a time of sorrow and prayers... It's strange, watching some of the people I care about rejoice, but not being able join in that joy. My emotions right now will not reflect yours. The phrase I often use - "I am happy because of your happy"... doesn't apply today. 

       A friend of mine posted saying, "To those who cry for joy today: I am sorry that it has come to this, that people have hurt you and pushed you to wrap your identity in one lonely part of yourself. I am sorry that the world is such a place that it has taken this much to make you finally feel valuable as a human being. I am sorry that Christians have not all been the safe haven from your pain and loneliness even in spite of opposition."

         I am sorry too... I want you to know that am not angry at your joy - I care about many of you... I am sad though, and I suppose it's my right to say that... It is my right to say that I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that God clearly forbids same-sex relationships. He calls it dishonorable and impure. (Romans 1:24-27) In other places in the Scripture He calls it an abomination... God is not unclear on what He thinks of this - therefore I am clear on what I believe... We as a country are calling good evil and evil good... It breaks my heart.

         To other Christians who believe as I do - please remember, this ruling does not change God's Truth.... Remember to speak with grace and love to those who disagree with us - be a light, not a clanging cymbal. Love does rejoice in sin, but it also does not behave rudely. 

         I'd like to end this post with the rest of the quote from my friend, "To my brothers and sisters: Be of good courage. God will not be unseated from His throne, no matter the circumstances. Do not use this moment for rash words of panic or flippant avoidance, but take this time to root yourselves firmly in Scriptural truth as an oak by the river. Dig into the Epistles, and you will find that the church was born into a world more dangerous than this country has known in any of our lifetimes. That we are on the road to greater trouble is not a cause for hopeless dismay, rather it is an opportunity to prepare for the future to come. Be thankful for the advanced notice we have been given, and remember that our battle is not against flesh and blood. It is the fearful that resolve conflict by fight or flight. Stand firm in God's word, and remember the example set before us by our Lord. His love is such that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

              May God bless you and keep you,

 Ophelia - Marie