(Written two weeks prior to Valentine's Day, after attending church.)
Hello, all.
Hello, all.
Sunday school was wonderful today. I am always refreshed for the week whenever I go, and Susan, you are a gifted teacher. My prayers to you regarding your mom...and to everyone who mentioned prayer requests today.
I am writing this note because I am a hypocrite. I left Sunday School once again feeling badly for not speaking up on an issue that is important to me; not being honest with my Christian friends on a specific belief.
In a nutshell, I am a supporter of gay rights and marriage equality. I know what the Bible says and I have considered it for many years; however, I have come to believe as I do by observing the lives of countless gay friends I've met and come to love over the years through the business and marketing communities, as well as in schools (Mackenzie's teacher is gay), our home (our sitter of seven years is gay), and in many other settings.
I may have kept this opinion to myself, but I have chosen to come out of the closet, so to speak, by posting a photo on Valentine's Day on my FB page at the request of a beloved friend, Trevor Eade. Not worth going into it now, other than to say it is in complete opposition to today's comments about homosexuality.
For this reason and some others, I am spotty with attending church. Some could say it is immoral beliefs that keep a person away; others may feel, as I sometimes do, that I don't agree with everything that is said, it hurts me or I feel like an outsider, so I stay away. Either way, it truly is between the Lord and me, and he is my judge. I hope at the end of my life he will look on me and know I did my best.
Thanks in advance for being kind to me despite this profound difference of opinion on an issue that is deemed critical to many on both sides of the fence. I do not lecture on it and, like today, I rarely comment on it. I respect other views and don't discuss the topic around friends' children. Please, however, do not try to change my mind or tell me it's okay to love the sinner...nothing will change my mind on this issue.
Chris doesn't fully agree with me, by the way. However, he knows Juliette will be in that Feb. 14 photo with me because of her support for her gay friends at school and he's okay with it.
God bless you and keep you, and thank you for your words of wisdom inside and outside the church. Thank you also for being outstanding role models on many levels. I just had to share this lest I be a complete and total hypocrite...I have lots of flaws, but hypocrisy is something I cannot live with.
Hugs & blessings,
MJ
The photo below was posted on on Facebook on Valentines Day, 2013. It received more than 115 likes and numerous comments, including a very supportive one from my sweet husband. There was silence and surely dismay from many more, but that's okay. We didn't do it for applause, just for what we believe is right. I'm proud of my daughter and grateful that finally, after 10 or so years of pondering it, I came out of the closet.
