Ok, I wasn't going to get into this but I have to. I realize that this may open a can of worms, get me unfollowed and unfriended but oh well. Those of you who know me know that I love the gay community. I have had gay friends for as long as I can remember and some of my closest friends are gay. They are wonderful people who I love dearly. Also, if you know me, you know that I'm also a Christian.
So..this whole Chick-Fil-A thing has really got me upset. Why? Because it is displaying the UGLIEST sides of both the gay community and the Christian community. As a Christian, I believe that my God loves EVERYONE and I am to do the same. It makes me sad that "Christians" would condemn or judge other people. We all sin, just differently. What I'm saying is don't throw bricks if you live in a glass house. How many of you Christians who are being so hateful and judgmental engage in premarital sex? Lie? Cheat? Steal? Put other things above God? It really gets you thinking, doesn't it? I'm including myself in this as well because I'm not perfect.
And the gay community...I understand that it isn't fair that you are denied certain rights because of your sexual orientation. As I've stated before, I don't think marriage is for everyone so it kind of sucks for those of us who want to stay single that we don't get the same rights as those who are married with children. I get it. At the same time, if you want tolerance, you have to respect others. I actually had someone suggest that I was homophobic because I'm going to continue to eat at Chick-Fil-A. I can't even take that seriously because those who know me, should know my heart. Also, having people dress in drag and protest in front of Chick-Fil-A is beyond ridiculous. Out of all my gay friends, I don't know of a single one of them who dresses in drag. This is only feeding into the stereotypical idea society has created of the gay community. This doesn't help you move forward.
Think of it this way...if we were to boycott every company that we didn't agree with, we wouldn't shop anywhere or buy anything. If we were to abandon every friend we had a difference with, we would be alone.
All I know is that it isn't my place to judge, it's my place to love others as God has loved me and I will continue to do so. We all have our own convictions and beliefs but if you are going to share them, do so respectfully. None of us are better than anyone else and we don't have the right to push our beliefs on anyone else or judge them.
So, go out there and love people. Commit a random act of kindness. Reach out to someone in need. If you truly want to make a difference in this big, scary, crazy world...spread LOVE.
That is all.
C
We deal with this situation awfully close to home... and sometimes, no matter how loving and kind, accepting, and nonjudgmental you are, a person who knows you don't agree with their lifestyle will push you out of their lives and stand in judgment of YOU - just because you DISAGREE. It goes both ways. We have done nothing but open our arms in love, and we have been pushed away because, in his mind, the fact that we believe the lifestyle is a sin in God's eyes makes us judgmental. Never mind how many times his dad has told him he loves him. Never mind the number of times we have tried to contact him and welcome him into our home. Never mind the number of times his dad has said, "Son, I have my own set of problems. We all do. I love you." It doesn't matter what we do. Not a word has been spoken in disagreement of him. Not one of us has ever said to him, "This is wrong" or "You are living in sin." We have chosen not to judge or to make any comments - we have simply chosen to love. We have still been rejected. As I said, we have experienced first-hand that being judgmental goes both ways. We have been termed intolerant and unaccepting by someone we love dearly and have welcomed with open arms, simply because of what he knows we BELIEVE. And let me repeat - we have never, NEVER, said anything about his lifestyle to him in any way, shape, or form. For that matter, my hair-dresser is gay, and I think he is fabulous. My coffee-house guys are gay, and they are precious, and they ALL know how I like my coffee ;-) We all know what we believe - and we choose to live and let live. But when it comes to some people, especially those who are close, it doesn't matter how kind and loving you are - they choose to demonize you because you believe something different. And in our very painful and close-to-home experience, it comes from the gay community just as much, if not MORE, than from the Christian community who I have SEEN with my OWN EYES doing nothing but reaching out in love. This is an extremely painful topic for us. Dan Cathy did nothing but express his opinion on a matter, and he was demonized. Simply for holding to a belief and a certain set of values. Here is my take on it - he had that right. Period. I'm not sure how you feel about what happened yesterday, but showing up in droves to support Chick Fil A wasn't a statement about how Christians feel about gays. It was a statement about how Americans feel about our First Amendment rights. While I didn't brave the crowds with my kids yesterday, I fully stand with those who did. I also stand firmly in saying that, regardless of what lifestyle my step-son chooses, or who he chooses to love, he is still deeply loved and cherished, both by God and by us. I only wish he would look past his OWN judgment of US and see how much we want him in our lives. We don't have to change what we believe in order to love and accept him as he is.
ReplyDeleteGood job on your blog, Courtney. I love you.