I’ve got a lot on my mind. Wonderfully, it’s all connected. I think it’s an important set of ideas to consider, so that’s why I’m sharing this with you.
(As a disclaimer, I’m merely presenting thoughts for consideration, not justifying my reasons behind them. If you’re curious or offended, I’d like to know so we can have a face to face talk!)
In class today, we were talking about the conformist nature of American society. Basically, there are a bunch of ideas and social patterns which people are “expected” to comply with otherwise they’re labeled as bad or weird or bigots or whatever (insert your word here). I remember a poster in elementary school that had a dalmatian puppy with rainbow spots. It said “Dare to be different.” I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear that phrase, there always seems to be a caveat or a ‘but’ coming. In my head, it really reads, “Dare to be different...but only in the ways that we say you can.” I’ve observed this both implicitly and explicitly in my own life. I bring it up here for you to mull it over and see if you’ve learned or observed something similar or if your experience has been different. There’s also another reason...
As Christians, we talk about the all-encompassing love of God for each of us; we go on and on about how He accepts us where we are and loves us no matter what; how nothing can separate us from the love of God. All of these things are good and true. I see a problem here though. It’s almost exactly like that poster if we’re not careful. I see, for example, something like “God loves you no matter what...unless you’re gay.” This is the problem. We are limiting God. We are putting limits on what He can and cannot do or say, who He can or cannot love.
I don’t want to get into debates about the issue (at least not here). I do want to make you think.
Do *you* limit God?
Do *you* act in a way that makes people think there’s a caveat?
When you say, “God loves you,” do you mean it the way that God means it?
Do you understand how your view of God’s love reveals how you perceive it in your own life and circumstances?
Life is not easy, not black and white, not straightforward. Lives are messy and complicated and intricate. Despite any variable, experience, circumstance, etc, no sin is too great for God’s love to conquer if we’re willing to bring it to Him.
God is Love and love is one of the most unstoppable forces in the universe.