I see him drowning. I watch as he struggles to reach the surface. I watch, and I wish I could save him. But I can’t, and so I watch. Part of me wants to look away. But he is a piece of my soul and my feet are grounded where I stand as if they are part of the earth itself. He will not die. He is resillient. A light will dim in his eyes and in my heart. But it will be temporary – fleeting, like a rainbow after the rain.

I have done this song and dance before. Many times I’ve watched him drowning and prayed for him to swim. Sometimes he does. Other times it is as if the sea swallows him whole and he sinks into the depths. Please don’t let him sink this time…

When he is drowning, does he hear the voice of the One who walked upon the water? Does he cry out to You to save him? My only comfort as I watch him flailing is the same. You can cover us both. You are the only One who can save. And so I turn to You.

Oh, God, my heart is broken. My spirit is defeated like a withering flower on a cold autumn morning that still turns its face towards the sun. Old psalms that cry out to You to defeat the enemy ring true, but there is no enemy. Instead I cry out to You to rescue me from this life. Help me to be grateful for the sunshine AND the rain.

May I praise You in the mourning like I praise You when I am dancing. When I don’t hear You, when I don’t see You, help me still to trust. May I remember it is Your steadfast hand that guides us both through these tender days. That it is You who hears us, who sees us. It is You who loves us both when our feet are failing and our steps don’t seem secure.

You are gentle and kind. You are slow to anger and abounding in love. Help me to mirror You. Oh, how I long to be all of these things. But too often I am not gentle or kind, calm and loving. Change me, Lord. Change him, too.

In these dark moments when the clouds are many and the fog is thick, send Your light. Make it burn ferociously through the clouds so we can take comfort in knowing You are there. You are the Comfort that we seek. Grab hold of our hearts and don’t let them go. Hold on to us so we do not fall.

The internet blew up today. The U.S. Supreme Court voted in favour of nationwide gay marriages, and everyone had something to say. I am not much for politics. Sadly, I’m not even a real news follower. But this was so widely broadcast, you couldn’t miss.

First of all, it is important for me to say that I am not what you would call a homophobe. I am in fact, what you would call a Christian. I really love Jesus. I want to follow after Him. I want to read the Scriptures, and live as the Scriptures tell me to do. So what happens, when something that goes against what the Scriptures say come to pass?

Let’s just take a quick look at what God says about homosexuality. It’s only mentioned a few times. One is in Leviticus 18:22 where it says, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.” Okay, so there it is. But wait…just wait. Another passage in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, “Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people – none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God.” Do you see that? It is in there. But wait…just wait. Look what else is in there – so much more. That kind of looks like a big list of different sins, doesn’t it?

I have always been taught that sin is sin. While committing murder seems to be a pretty huge sin, lying or cheating is a pretty big deal as well. Let’s just take this up a notch. While the Bible says homosexuality is a huge sin (and people are making a big deal about gay marriages and all of these “sinners”), it also says theives and greedy people and cheaters are sinners. And didn’t Jesus come to save sinners? Luke 19:10 says, “For the son of Man came to save those who are lost.” There it is. That’s what I was looking for.

Jesus came to save the lost. Those who are lost are those who sin. 1 Timothy 1:15 says, “this is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I am the worst of them all.” Yes, I do believe that. I do believe that I am the worst. You only see a small part of me, but you don’t know my deep dark secrets. You don’t know the worst thing I have ever done. And let me just say, I hope you never find out. That’s between me and my God. But you know what? My being a Christian does not make me any less of a sinner. Sadly, I am still right there. The only difference is that I seek out Christ’s forgiveness and try to live like Him. Even though I fail.

Jesus not only came to save the lost, He came to love. Romans 5:8 states, “but God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Did you see that? He came to love. As Christians, our only salvation, our only hope is that we can overcome the worst things we have ever done because He died on the cross for us. But it wasn’t just for us. It was for all of the homosexuals as well. And here’s the kicker – He calls us to do the same.

That might not look like dying a horrible death. But it does look like a sacrifice. In 1 John 2:6 it says, “those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”That is such a simple instruction, is it not? In all areas of our lives, but especially in this particular issue. We just need to love. It’s a bit of a hard topic for Christians, and I get that. It will be difficult, at first. But I guarantee you that it will pay off.

So, Christians, I am talking to you. Today, when I heard the news, I was a bit shaken. Not because of the Supreme Court’s decision – let’s face it, we knew that was coming. We know the world we are living in. I was more shaken by the hateful comments that Christians were leaving all across social media. Christians. Yikes.

Philippians 2: 5-11. Your attitude should be the same as Christ. He loved. He died. What will you do? I implore you to love. To show kindness. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with the lifestyle. This doesn’t mean you have to be huge supporters. It just means you have to love. It means you need to stop with the hateful comments. It means you need to reach out, as Christ did. Even in the smallest ways.

It’s time to love.