Romans 14:13-23
I didn't realize I was gay until I was about 50 years old. Pretty amazing eh? Well, I suppose I could list a whole host of reasons and assign blame. That would serve no purpose really. I also realized that if it took me 50 years to come to terms with myself, how could I expect anyone else to come to terms with it overnight. After all, for 50 years it seemed I was a different person. Even if it was unintentional or a matter of subconscious survival techniques, I had acted straight and pursued a way of living that really was at odds with being gay. Perhaps that's the real reason I had to come to terms with my sexuality. The more I went one way. The more my psyche was forcing me to address who I really was or I would break down mentally. I was coming close, I know that. Thank God for therapy. Thank God, period.
It's obvious to me that I cannot be a person who judges or places stumbling blocks in other peoples way as this passage states. I should be the last one to do that. I recognize the incredible journey of love and faith I have been on my whole life and part of that was acknowledging that I am gay, as God created me. Good, sexy, lovable as well as all the other attributes people have known me for my entire life. I am a good person. The journey has been rough but no one has judged me. Or at least I have allowed no one to judge me save my saviour, my creator, my God.
Our journeys to become the masterpieces God created is not an easy task for anyone and every journey is different. Everything about us is different in one way or another. In that respect we are all queer and we should all respect that as well as each and every journey to wholeness.
There should be no judgements, no stumbling blocks, only love and encouragement.
I didn't realize I was gay until I was about 50 years old. Pretty amazing eh? Well, I suppose I could list a whole host of reasons and assign blame. That would serve no purpose really. I also realized that if it took me 50 years to come to terms with myself, how could I expect anyone else to come to terms with it overnight. After all, for 50 years it seemed I was a different person. Even if it was unintentional or a matter of subconscious survival techniques, I had acted straight and pursued a way of living that really was at odds with being gay. Perhaps that's the real reason I had to come to terms with my sexuality. The more I went one way. The more my psyche was forcing me to address who I really was or I would break down mentally. I was coming close, I know that. Thank God for therapy. Thank God, period.
It's obvious to me that I cannot be a person who judges or places stumbling blocks in other peoples way as this passage states. I should be the last one to do that. I recognize the incredible journey of love and faith I have been on my whole life and part of that was acknowledging that I am gay, as God created me. Good, sexy, lovable as well as all the other attributes people have known me for my entire life. I am a good person. The journey has been rough but no one has judged me. Or at least I have allowed no one to judge me save my saviour, my creator, my God.
Our journeys to become the masterpieces God created is not an easy task for anyone and every journey is different. Everything about us is different in one way or another. In that respect we are all queer and we should all respect that as well as each and every journey to wholeness.
There should be no judgements, no stumbling blocks, only love and encouragement.
Let us therefore no longer pass judgement on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling-block or hindrance in the way of another. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification. Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. The faith that you have, have as your own conviction before God. Blessed are those who have no reason to condemn themselves because of what they approve. But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat, because they do not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
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