Necessary Things

Racism. Police lives. Gay marriage. Gender reassignment. 

Abortion. Religious freedom. Poverty.

I don't know how to talk about these things.  I don't know how to write about these things.  I don't even know how I feel about some of them and if what I believe about others is right or wrong.  I don't know if what I believe even matters.

But I can't ignore them.  I can't make them go away just by pretending they don't exist or that, while they do exist, they don't impact my life.

I have children who have questions.  I have questions.

I have friends who have been touched in a personal way by each of these topics. I have friends who live these topics every day.

I somehow have to reconcile all of these things for myself and my children.

I am not sure I know the words to use.  I am afraid of using the wrong words and offending someone.

I have put these subjects in boxes and put them on a shelf in my life.  I have covered myself and my family with the blanket of "this is my personal opinion, but..."

We need to talk about them.  I need to talk about them.

Racism is real, and I hate it. I have largely ignored racism, allowing myself to believe that it was a problem of our past. I have relegated it to history. But it is real. It is now. I cannot pretend it does not exist any more than I can pretend to understand what it is like to be persecuted simply for the color of my skin. I may not experience this in a personal way, but I do not have to remain silent as others do.

Police protect us every day and I love them for it.  But some of them make mistakes.  And some of them are just plain bad.  But most of them are good and deserve better than we give them.

Homosexuality is wrong according to God's word.  But God also teaches us to love one another.  Each and every one of us.  I believe homosexuality is a sin.  I also believe I am a sinner.  God tells me, through His word, that all sins are equivalent and only He can judge.

Gender reassignment is against God's perfect plan for us.  The Creator of all things does not make mistakes. But again, only He can judge-it is my place to show Christ's love, and God's place to hand down judgment.  You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. -Romans 2:1

Killing babies is wrong. Period. End of story. Abortion is not a choice, it is a trap. Abortion hurts women, not just babies. Women need forgiveness and love, not judgment. Women deserve better.

Poverty surrounds us. We live a privileged life and most of us, including me, take this for granted.  Right now a child is dying of starvation. Right now a mother is choosing which child eats today. Right now a husband is wondering how he can provide for his family. Right now a family is being evicted because they can't pay the rent. Every day. Every moment. Poverty is real and we, for the most part, ignore it.

Freedom of religion is a freedom I cherish.  My heart breaks when I see people persecuted around the world simply because of their beliefs. My heart breaks to see any religion judged solely on the character of its most extreme members. I want the whole world to know my Jesus.  I want each and every person to believe the truth of the Gospel. But it is not up to me, it is God alone who can save. I can't stop loving others because they don't share my beliefs. I can't save anyone, not even myself. Only God. Only Jesus. I am only tasked to love.

Y'all. Silence kills. Silence allows poverty and abortion and persecution to continue.

We have to talk about these things. Even if we use the wrong words (as I am sure I did in this post). Even if we offend someone.

To ignore these issues is to ignore these people.  We cannot ignore and love at the same time.

Love is everything.

Blessings,
Meri