What I Know for Sure
There's been a buzz going around the internet this last week. A little misquito flitting from blog to blog to facebook to news site. It all started with this blog post by Josh Weed, where he admits to being Mormon, married and gay. I loved the posts written by Tara and Mike and loved being part of their discussions. (They are brilliant, thoughtful and married to each other. Talk about a power couple.) This has caused a lot of thought on my part. I started a couple different posts, and couldn't quite decide what I wanted to say about this. And, then I decided to write about what I know for sure.
The young women in our church have a theme. This is repeated every Sunday as they gather for class. I'm way too old to have had this theme when I was a teen, but because I worked with the young women for almost three years, I memorized it. I can still recite it. The beginning line says,
The young women in our church have a theme. This is repeated every Sunday as they gather for class. I'm way too old to have had this theme when I was a teen, but because I worked with the young women for almost three years, I memorized it. I can still recite it. The beginning line says,
We are daughters of our Father in Heaven, who loves us and we love him.
Which brings me to what I know. We are literal children of God. He is our Father. He loves us. He knows us as only a parent can. He created our spirits and sent us here to have earthly bodies.
We are all His children. All of us. Black, white, old and young, Muslim, Christian, straight or gay. He loves us, each one, individually. His is a perfect love, the love of a parent. It is unconditional.
The world would separate us, put us in classes and groups. Draw lines to push us apart. It tells us that we are different. We can't live together. We must label one another and stick to our own kind. It sends a message that some are better than others for their wealth, intelligence, or talent. Look down on those below us, don't associate with those that aren't the same.
The world is wrong.
We each have worth. Infinite and glorious we are because of our heritage. We are children of a King, and as such, we are royalty. One of the greatest gifts He gave us is free agency. We have the right to live our lives. He wants us to be happy and He allows us to search for that happiness however we choose. He does not want us to belittle each other for our choices.
And while the world works hard at sorting us and setting up the pecking order, what I know is that we are all children of God. Beautiful and strong with endless possibilities. We need to love each other. We need to respect each other and our God-given rights to choose our own path. It's okay to disagree. It's okay that we're different. But, it is not okay to assault one another because of those differences.
I believe in God and I believe that he is a God of love.
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." -John 13:34
Awesome post, Jewels!! Thank goodness we know what we know!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I agree.
DeleteJust beautiful, Jewels. I find that although my faith is so different from yours, I know the same thing. We call it "the inherent worth and dignity of all people." And it makes me proud and amazed and jubilant that we share this common love, languaged differently and differently practiced, but loved and felt the same. I am very grateful to have you in my cyber life. It is so much richer because you're there.
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly. I've learned so much from you and Mike and I, too, am grateful to have you as part of my life.
DeleteI so applaude this post!! I totally agree. This was beautifully put and conveys everything that I feel in my heart. Thanks Jewels!!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Jewels. I have been having similar thoughts over the last few weeks, but have lacked the words to put it as eloquently as you have. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! In the Jewish religion, we have a saying - "Tikkun Olom" (tick-coon oh-lum) which means heal the world. This is central to our belief system. By accepting all people of all different colors, sexual orientation, or other unique qualities, you are a shining example of that belief.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to remember that saying. That's beautiful.
DeleteAs always, you speak about your faith so beautifully and generously. You are one of the inspirations in my life that has pushed me toward a deeper understanding that differing faiths need not divide us. Thank you for that and for sharing so much of your personal faith with all of us.
ReplyDeleteI got this website from my friend who told me concerning this web page and now this
ReplyDeletetime I am browsing this web page and reading very informative
articles or reviews at this time.
My web page : direct download movies
Greetings from California! I'm bored to death at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the knowledge you provide here and can't wait
ReplyDeleteto take a look when I get home. I'm surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I'm not even using WIFI, just
3G .. Anyhow, good blog!
Feel free to surf my homepage ; how to make an app
I comment whenever I especially enjoy a post
ReplyDeleteon a website or if I have something to contribute to the discussion.
Usually it's triggered by the sincerness displayed in the post I read. And after this article "What I Know for Sure". I was excited enough to post a comment :-) I actually do have 2 questions for you if you do not mind. Is it just me or do a few of the responses appear as if they are left by brain dead visitors? :-P And, if you are posting at additional online sites, I'd like to follow anything new you have to post.
Would you list the complete urls of all your social sites
like your linkedin profile, Facebook page or twitter feed?
My blog ... how to play piano
Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you knew of any widgets I
ReplyDeletecould add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.
I've been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping maybe you would have some experience with something like this. Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.
Here is my homepage ... Work from home
Thanks for one's marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you can be a great author. I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will eventually come back later in life. I want to encourage you continue your great writing, have a nice afternoon!
ReplyDeleteMy weblog : old holborn tobacco
What's up, just wanted to mention, I loved this blog post. It was helpful. Keep on posting!
ReplyDeleteMy webpage :: how to get rid of bed bugs
After I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me
ReplyDeletewhen new comments are added- checkbox and
from now on whenever a comment is added I receive four emails with the exact same comment.
Is there a way you can remove me from that service? Appreciate it!
My website: diablo 3 monk guide