Missing the Mark

I have wondered how things would have been different if instead of pouring effort into opposing gay marriage, the Church had put the same effort into focusing on strengthening marriages and helping people heal, overcome challenges, build community, and live with courage and purpose?

In a rare moment of brilliance, I realized suddenly that, Wait! They do! Holy cow!  

It's not the church, but the people in the church. What if we, all of us, everyone that fought and fights for gay rights, fought for compassion, for those values I mentioned above, for personal responsibility to take ownership of our own issues before trying to own someone else's, for walking a mile in someone else's shoes before criticizing them?  

What if people were vulnerable and open, what if church really was a safe place to worship from wherever you were? What if being perfect really meant becoming like Christ, loving those that were rejected or downtrodden, washing the feet of those that were "beneath" us?

What would that mean for me? How would I act differently? What would that look like as a community? Is that something I can work for, fight for?

Would gay rights or black lives matter even be an issue?

I am grateful to the PRIDE movement for helping shift society to a place where I feel safe being open about my sexuality in society.

I also have seen where PRIDE and the opposite, the push back from self-righteous individuals against issues becomes a stumbling block, stealing our focus, causing people to miss the mark.