There used to be lines. Clear ones. They were defined. They were black and white. It used to be easy to know exactly how you felt and exactly how to express it. There also used to be more narrow minded people in the world. Narrow minded in the stubborn sense. Narrow minded meaning that condemnation was quick. Judgement was strict and harsh. It was a simpler, clearer time. Those are gone. Days of the past. And it isn't all bad.
Today every line is blurry. The black and white muddles in the middle to gray tones. There is no toeing the line. There is no tidy sense of right and wrong.
We are all guilty. You, me, everyone. Guilty. We sin. I am a sinner saved by grace paid for by the sacrifice and blood of God's only son. I am a sinner. You....yep...talking to you....you are a sinner and it ain't pretty.
We all have vices. Some people steal, some are addicts, some people just can't help themselves but to lie, for no reason at all. Some folks watch things they shouldn't, think things the shouldn't, hurt others just for the sake of hurting someone. Bottom line. We are all fighting our own battles. Each person has their own demons to face. Some people are born with those demons, some barter for their demons, and some people create their own demons.
Here in Arkansas today you can't turn on the news, open up Facebook, look at twitter or a newspaper and not be slammed with same sex marriage. It is insane how the media has taken the topic and filled every nook with it. It's like that foam in a can...one little spray fills an entire hole because the stuff just keeps growing until there isn't room for any air, not an open space to be found.
I have stated my beliefs on here, on Facebook, to my friends, my family and anyone in between. I believe that same sex romantic relationships are sinful. I also believe that God gave us all free will. We are all able to make our own decisions because we are granted the ability to do so. I believe that marriage is sacred. Let me make something really clear though, as sinful as same sex marriage may be, marrying someone that you have no intention to spending your life with is just as sinful. The institution of marriage means nothing to so many. I believe that divorce is a sin. If you took your vows and promised "till death do us part" and then let your marriage go, you are as sinful as a same sex couple. You are as sinful as the thief, the murderer, the junkie, and the liar. And I am as sinful as the rest of you.
We can't accept abortions, adultery and divorce and condemn same sex couples. We shouldn't be condemning anyone. We are not judge and jury.
Quite frankly, we have made the institution of marriage a joke. What is the divorce rate these days? It is ridiculous. Thing is, I am not condemning you because you are divorced. I am just as much a sinner as any of you. This is not me judging. I am simply saying that as Christians we have become accepting of some of the things the Bible calls sinful. We pick and choose which sins to fight over.
I have been reading Romans. It's a good book. I got to Romans 14 and since last night I have read it 3 or 4 times. There is a lot there. If you can take a few minutes I would encourage you to check it out. The whole thing stands out, but this is good stuff:
13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
On one hand we have all of these sins named in the bible. Divorce, same sex marriages, killing, adultery, lying, not obeying your parents, jealousy, are all sins called out by name. We don't have the authority to judge because someone is guilty of it and we [think we] know it. We don't know their heart. If you believe, in your heart, that something is a sin...then to you it is a sin. Don't do it. If you know better and do it anyway you get to answer to God, not to me. And if it is a sin in your heart that doesn't mean it is a sin in everyone else's. We each own our own demons and we get to take them up with God.
It reminds me of the saying, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you."
I guess my point is that life is blurry. The black and white that I live by runs through me like blood. Someone else's lines may run a little different. Their black and white may be gray. I don't waiver from my black and white. I don't change to make anyone else comfortable. I don't like making excuses for my sins or anyone else's. God speaks to each of us in different ways. I'm sure that I interpreted Romans 14 differently that bible scholars and preachers. It doesn't change that a sin is a sin is a sin, but it shows us that we don't need to micromanage everyone's sin. God has that part under control.
We need to step back from our own black and white to see a whole picture. That's not to encourage you to test the water and blur your own lines, but to encourage you to notice that God may have placed someone else's line in a different spot. It doesn't mean my opinion has or will change on divorce or same sex marriage. It just means that I will do my best to not judge those situations. I will pray and ask The Lord for guidance and for the right words. I am going to teach my children right from wrong. Some may call me a bigot or narrow minded, but saying that about me doesn't make it true....I rarely live up to the name someone else calls me. I do not hate or judge anyone for their decisions, but that won't make me support or embrace them either.
Life is tough. The grey we live in is difficult to maneuver. We are brought up with a sense of right and wrong, sinful and not, black and white and it seems easy to apply. Then we become adults and political correctness is shoved down our throats and what was sharp becomes dull. Don't let the world change your lines and don't blur someone else's. Let God do His job, I'm sure it's much easier when we don't interfere.
No comments:
Post a Comment