A Million Thoughts

 I have a million thoughts running through my head. Here are just a few.

Why do we use labels so often within our religious culture? Member, Non-member, Convert, Less Active, Left the Church, All In, etc. Who really cares and if we do, why? When did we start acting more like the Pharisees and Sadducees? Didn't Christ teach who our neighbor is through the parable of the Good Samaritan? 

Why does it matter when telling a story we so quickly add, "oh, they left the church."? As if that has any bearing on what is being told. As if they now wear a forever "scarlet letter". Why can't we all just be God's children trying our best to find our way in a fallen, difficult world? Why can't we support each other in a kind, compassionate way? No one knows for sure what is true and what isn't. Isn't that why we are asked to live by faith? 

Why do we always have to have an answer for everything? Does it really matter if or why homosexuality is a sin? Isn't God the final judge? Isn't He the one that knows the end from the beginning? Aren't we taught to not judge? Hasn't He taught us over and over that we are to love? Why can't we just live what we believe to be truth and let others live theirs? Isn't that what Christ did as He taught the rich young ruler, the adulterous woman, and so many others? Didn't He show that love really was the answer.

Do you know of who Christ was the most critical? The hypocrites, those found within His chosen people. Aren't we sometimes caught up in the same hypocritical mess as the Pharisees and Sadducees? How often do we judge the length of someones dress or shorts? Whether a family is holding FHE or reading their scriptures? Tithing? Word of wisdom? Tattoos?  Youth night? The list is endless. 

Thank goodness God judges the heart of a person, taking into consideration the end from the beginning. I want to love better. I want to stop judging people, really stop. I want to recognize that everyone is trying their best to get through each day. The words of the hymn, Lord I Would Follow Thee, ring true to my heart and soul. I believe they are words for me to live by.  

1. 1.Savior, may I learn to love thee,

   Walk the path that thou hast shown,

   Pause to help and lift another,

   Finding strength beyond my own.

   Savior, may I learn to love thee—

   Lord, I would follow thee.

2. 2. Who am I to judge another

   When I walk imperfectly?

   In the quiet heart is hidden

   Sorrow that the eye can’t see.

   Who am I to judge another?

   Lord, I would follow thee.

3. 3. I would be my brother’s keeper;

   I would learn the healer’s art.

   To the wounded and the weary

   I would show a gentle heart.

   I would be my brother’s keeper—

   Lord, I would follow thee.

4. 4. Savior, may I love my brother

   As I know thou lovest me,

   Find in thee my strength, my beacon,

   For thy servant I would be.

   Savior, may I love my brother—

   Lord, I would follow thee.

I read an enlightening book, That We May Be One, A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith and Family. 

A couple of my favorite quotes are:

"Accepting others doesn't not mean that we condone, agree with, or conform to their beliefs or choices, but simply that we allow the realities of their lives to be different from our own."

"Effective loving is far more than regularly announcing our affection to our children. Effective loving helps the child feel safe, valued, and accepted. We cannot nurture effectively unless we have taken the time to discover what is important to the people we are striving to love... Parents do not always feel loving toward their children. But love is more than a feeling. It may be considered a commitment to act in the best interest of another person...The greatest human example of gentleness and compassion for children was Jesus.... He was attentive, appreciative, tender, patient, and loving."

"Success" in parents' efforts is measured by the love and unity in a family, not by the church activity of each family member."