Matthew 22:34-40

        Loving yourself is loving God

       34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

       There was a time when it was fashionable for young people to skip a year of college to "find themselves". I wouldn't make light of it because finding out who you are is integral to loving yourself, being able to love others and being your best at contributing to society as a whole. The truth is though, some people never find themselves.  In the case of many gay people, they may have an inkling of who they are, they may actually have found themselves but they wind up spending more time hiding themselves. I believe it is somewhat easier today for a person to acknowledge that they are gay. There are plenty of good role models and the bigotry, while still out there, has lessened. Bigotry, not unlike the bigotry against blacks, is based on fear, ignorance, stereotypes and sadly, organized religion in many cases.

       In today's reading Jesus notes the great commandments of Loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. You really must love yourself before anything else. I am not talking about a me centered, bitchy queen type of attitude. It is not all about you. But as far as God is concerned, your creator, the One who designed you, conceived you in his/her mind and thought you'd be the perfect addition to the world, you should develop to acknowledge and love that creation that you are. If you acknowledge who you are and live up to your full potential, you are in fact showing love and respect for God as much as you are loving and respecting yourself. That is what I think God wants for all of us. It is healthy and normal. The question that holds some people back s what actually is normal. I am going on the premise that being gay is normal, at least for someone created gay; just as much as being straight is normal for someone who is straight. Barring societal, family or religious pressure you usually know on which team you are playing. They say about 10% of humans are homosexual. I am not sure what the statistics would be in the rest of God's animal kingdom but I do know it is there, recognized and prevalent. We all should be what we are meant to be. Love, own it, embrace, revel in it. 

      If you take a step back, look at yourself clearly and completely, you will see a wondrous creation in every aspect and I believe that will point you to God in thanksgiving, wonder and love.