This May Be Surprising To You...

So, I am about to share something that may be surprising to a lot of you! 

I first want to say that I love the Lord with every ounce of my being. I spend time with Him every.single.day! My hubby leads our family spiritually in every way possible. Every evening he leads a devotional with our children, he teaches Sunday School for fourth graders and is the leader for 3-5th grade boys at Awana. I am a youth group leader and the leader for K-2nd graders at Awana. We are very involved with our local orphans, spreading awareness, and doing what we can to take them in.

We DO NOT feel that we deserve any praise, we are simply where God has called us to be - something we all should be doing, right?! We will always take prayers and continue spreading awareness.

With that being said, we are sinners! We are in church three plus times each week and we sin every day. I spend time with God every day and I still need to ask for forgiveness before my time with Him. I know that I'm going to sin - I can't stop it from happening! I can change what I can with God's help, but I can never stop sinning. 

This big debate over gays is hard for me (this is not a blog about gays, but rather our hearts as Christians)! You see, I have an aunt (whom is the best aunt in the history of aunts) and she is gay. She has loved me selflessly, my husband and now my kids. She is humble and funny!

So many people are afraid to talk about it and I don't understand why. I don't believe "Christians" act the way they are supposed to when it comes to gays - at all! We are called to LOVE! In the New Testament, Jesus said to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul. Next is to love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no greater commandment than these. (Mark 12:30-31) 

You see, Jesus does not put exemptions on these commandments - there are no "ifs". I do not agree with the gay lifestyle, I do believe it goes against all of what the Bible teaches. However, I also know that lying, pride, lust, jealousy, love of things, selfishness, women leaders in the church also go against what Jesus teaches.

I am not saying it is right to sin in any of these areas, gay, pride, jealousy, etc. It is not and we should not be content in any sin! I do believe that marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman! But, just because I believe these things to be wrong and am convicted many times when I forget, does not mean I have to judge and bring wrath down onto others who choose to sin. 

God speaks of love so much in the Bible and that is what we sometimes forget. We are so caught up on what this world has in the spotlight that we forget what God put in the spotlight - love! We don't have to agree with people to show love to them. We don't have to make people exactly like us! We just need to love, stand firm in our faith in God and let Him do the rest! He will change hearts if He wants, He will judge each of us when our time comes! Don't give satan any hold on you! 

I have prayed for you! As you read this, I have prayed that God softens your heart to loving our neighbors! Love is selfless! Love is NOT arrogant or rude! Love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth. Love believes all things, bears all things, and endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13)

Matthew 5:14-16 (this is actually my homeschool group's verse) says we are "the light of the world" and that we are to "let our light shine so others may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven".

I just ask that we start a revolution of love! A revolution that shouldn't have to be mentioned, but surely it does! Let's unite to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Love our fellow sinners, the gays, the selfish people, the murderers, the liars, the thieves, those whom are jealous! Let's invite them to fellowship in the house of God! Let us not judge - it is clearly not our job.

In John 8, Jesus is with an adulterous woman and He said, "let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw the stone".  In Luke 6, Jesus says, "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?". We do not have to agree, but we are called to love!

Love People!!!!