I'm Scared
Truth be told, I'm scared as to what the reaction to this post will be. But I feel like I need to say something. So I am.
You all may have seen this viral little hashtag #marriageequality or something to that extent.
It basically means gay marriage is now legal in all 50 states because of something they interpreted in the Constitution that I’m sure the forefathers would be thrilled about, beginning now, and blah blah blah.
Instead of trying to explain something I don’t really understand, and because you all can find something twice as reliable on any news website, I just want to share my thoughts with you guys. Please don’t judge me, or condemn me for these thoughts, they are just what’s happening in my head right now.
What happened today in Washington DC, saddens me greatly. It hurts my heart. I know that this decision is going to change the future of the United States, my children's future and the future of my life.
As a photographer who is interested in wedding photography, this law means that I will have to turn people down because of what I believe and as that goes on, I will have to deal with lawsuits and maybe even jail time. As a result of me standing up for what I believe, I will be persecuted for what I believe. That is what my future will hold.
My friends who are interested in pastoring positions will have a hard time. They have a lot of things they are going to have to work through, and will probably have to deal with jail time, guilt trips, and persecution for what they believe.
My future children will have to grow up with the choices that we are making now. They will have to keep their boundaries high, even when the world tells them that this is ok. It means that in a world where everything goes, they are going to be called names, and will be persecuted for what I hope they believe. It’s going to be hard for my future children. I'm scared for my future children.
The decision made this week is going change a lot of things. To be honest, and I'm so scared.
Before I continue ranting, I want to say this, I don’t hate gay people. They are humans just like me. They were created by an all knowing, amazing God, and he loves them.
When they are partaking in immoral acts, (sinning) it hurts my heart. It hurts my heart to see people sinning and turning so far away from Christ. It hurts my heart to see people who God loves and calls treasures, turning away from the laws that he ordained for a reason!
I also don’t hate the US government. I am glad that we have a structured Government and that we have people who are dedicated to the furtherance of my country. I am thankful for the work they do and glad that I don’t have to do it.
But it still hurts me to see this. It hurts me to see people turning away from the laws God established and set in place. It hurts me to know that this changes everything-- and not for the better.
It also bothers me that I can’t do very much. I mean I’m a 16 year old who can’t vote or really speak in public or do very much else.
One thing I can do is use the gift that God has given me-- of writing-- to inspire and bring up the world for change for the better.
This is something that I wish I could wave a magic wand and just unsee what's happening. I also wish I had the words to write that would just… preach what the world needs to hear. I wish I could do that.
But because I can’t do that, I’ll just use my limited vocabulary to try and speak a coherent English thought.
I believe that God will use this decision for the best. I also believe that he will continue to be sovereign over our beautiful country and that he knows the plans he has for us.
But I also believe that same sex marriage is wrong. This is talked about in both the Old and New Testament, as a sin. (Leviticus 18:22, 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Romans 1:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) I believe that God created people male and female, and that when he created them as such, he had a plan for them. For their families and for their future and that they are sinning when they live the way the law now allows them to.
I believe that this decision hurts the heart of God, and that he is mourning over the way that we are acting as his Children that he created and loves.
I believe that as Christians, we need to take a stand, but not the way everyone else is. I don’t want to go waving hate posters saying “Ya’ll are going to hell.” Because that’s never worked in evangelism.
We need to keep praying and loving these people like Jesus. We need to be different and reach out in love. We have to keep our standards high, and we have to keep praying.
We can’t let this dark world take us down--which is what it so wants to do.
We have to keep fighting the darkness with the Light of the world. We have to keep turning our eyes toward Jesus and his redeeming grace. We have to keep speaking out and preaching against the darkness.
We have to keep our boundaries high and we have to keep pressing on the goal that God has placed before us.
We also have to keep reaching out and loving like Jesus. When Jesus walked this earth, he hung out with the robbers, tax collectors, prostitutes and the other sinners of the time. Since we are trying to be like Jesus, we have to do the same. The darkness doesn’t want to come to the light, we have to bring the light to it.
This is not a time to be lax in our faith. We have to speak out and be brave.
This is a time where we can’t just be the kind of Christians who come to church on Sunday and call that our ‘church’ fix.
We have to be the kind who are adamant about our faith.
I can promise that won’t be easy. In fact I think that it will hurt. in the long run, we will be teased, persecuted hurt, and maybe even put to death for what we believe.
As my dad often says, “A time as such is coming, and there's not much we can do about it, except be ready.”
God will be sovereign, but we can’t just sit back and just watch this happen. We have to be fighting the darkness before it takes over.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows…”
~Psalms 23:1-6
Rachel Joy