Accept the Unexpected

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
John 15:12

As a Christian it is our job to spread the gospel and share the love of Jesus Christ with everyone. Sometimes we don't understand how to do both of these at the same time and we come across differently than we intend to. Sometimes we share the gospel and it turns into an argument of what is right and what is wrong and we get frustrated and leave out the sharing love part. It's sad, but it happens. These situations can give us Christians a bad reputation because it falsely represents us. What we need to do, even if we think someone is wrong, is love them unconditionally. If you've told them what they are doing is a sin you've done all you can do, but you don't have the right to shame them for what they're doing. You're just as much of a sinner as they are. Your job now is to ACCEPT them and love them as God has done for you. I've been put to the test many times in my life as I suspect you have/will. The key to successfully handling these situations is to humble yourself and understand that you are no better than ANYONE.

Over a year ago I became really close with a guy I met in my church. He's one of my very best friends now and I can go to him about anything. He has a very special place in my heart. We started hanging out more when we began to take walks down to the river behind my old house. Our conversations were those of typical teenagers. We talked about school, church, and of course, relationships. The more we hung out the more I noticed I was really the only one talking when it came to the relationship part of our conversation. He was really happy for me and got enthusiastic any time I talked about my boyfriend, but he never had a relationship or crush to talk to me about. One day after school he asked if we could meet up and talk. When we went down to he river and sat down he told me that he was gay and didn't want a lot of people to know yet because of how they would react. That really hit me hard that someone could be so afraid to be themselves due to the reaction of others. Naturally my first instinct was to think about what it says in the bible about a man and a woman, but I also thought about how you're supposed to love everyone no matter what. That's when it really hit me, I love my friend with all of my heart and he is a so special to me. I was honored that he felt that he could talk to me and that moment didn't damage our relationship at all, it brought us closer. Now he and I can be completely honest with each other and we are always laughing and having fun together. Showing God's love helped me to keep such an amazing person in my life.

This summer one of my friends told me that she was pregnant by a boy who she wasn't with anymore. She was nervous about everyone finding out because people shun you for that kind of thing. They make up hurtful rumors about her and call her names when, yes she made a mistake, but her mistake was no worse than anyone else's. She wouldn't take it back for the world either because she is going to have a beautiful baby out of this. The fact that a lot of people aren't showing her love because she had sex before marriage is devastating to me. Most of the kids our age are doing it anyway and still judging her, and the ones who aren't have sinned just as greatly in a different way. My friend deserves all the love and respect in the world because she is a person who is struggling but is no worse than the rest of us.

I had a roommate this year, it turns out we don't really get along very well because we have too many differences, but that's not the point. When she moved in with me at the start of the spring semester, we talked about everything together. She told me about how she had dropped her letters for the sorority she had been in. I asked her why, and she told me because she had been in an interracial relationship. She said her sorority sisters didn't approve and so she dropped. I don't know if this is true or not, but if so it's heartbreaking that someone can't even be in an organization because of how judgmental people have gotten.

The point I'm trying to make is that we, as Christians, should be more accepting and loving of others. If someone is going against what you believe in as a Christian you should say "the bible says....." but then proceed to say, "..., but I am a Christian and I will love you no matter what because that's what Jesus would do and so that's what I am supposed to do and want to do." God doesn't judge you and persecute you because of your wrong-doings, so why would you do that to others? We are people called to love as our father has loved us. As Christians we need to accept the unexpected, meaning that even if our friends come out as gay, or have a baby before we think it's appropriate, or is in a relationship we don't approve of, it's not our place to judge and we need to be accepting always and loving. Nobody should be afraid to be who they are. Nobody should have to endure people being mean to them because they're different or have made mistakes. We need to start showing love and helping Christianity get the good reputation it deserves because I want to see God smiling at the world he created, not watching it crumble because we are so unaccepting. He loved us, so we should love each other.

XOXO,
Kirby Madyson