Love Covers

Since several of my friends have asked me, I'm going to tackle the current hot button issue in America. No one has ever accused me of being a "hater" because anyone who knows me understands that I love people regardless of who they are. I have always treated all people the same- with respect and love. We should all do that. Jesus commanded us to love, and was pretty emphatic that hatred and disrespect are unacceptable, no matter whether the people are gay, Muslim, Buddhist, pink, purple, or orange. A judgmental attitude does not bring people closer to God, it actually pushes them away. If we push them away, their eternal souls are in jeopardy and it will be our fault for being jerks.
BUT- there is another issue: God's heart. His Word tells us that the gay lifestyle is not what He planned for humanity. We have it because people have hardened their hearts and minds against the Lord. He didn't make a "mistake" when He created people of one gender or another. Everyone has a God-given purpose, a place in His heart. I feel for people who have been hurt by their parents or become confused by society. They simply do not know how much they are loved by the Creator of the Universe. That's our fault for removing the Presence of God from our society. So can we fix it? Not without a move of the Holy Spirit- which is the only way a leopard can change its spots.
Many years ago, one of my co-workers decided to change his gender. It completely freaked out our colleagues, who suddenly became hostile. They Bible-thumped him continually- which only ingrained his hostility. They did it out of FEAR, by the way. Had they operated in love instead of fear, who knows what could have happened?
I did not do that, and I advised my employees to keep their mouths shut and not be disrespectful. They didn't have to condone his action, but they were told to keep their judgments to themselves. In my spirit I felt nothing but terror for him because he basically told God that He made a mistake. So in spite of the fact that he didn't care for me as a person, I treated him with respect and love. When he left our department, "she" gave me a rose in a vase and told me thank you. She also sent me messages that told me his/her heart had been crushed by the animosity of people she had worked with for many years. She put a small plaque on my desk that said "Dear God, there is nothing that happens today that You and I can't handle." While his/her life had been turned upside down by the decision, I could feel the pain in her heart from the turmoil. Caring means feeling the pain of others, and being gentle in the way we handle it. Yes, we can talk about the Word of God, but the WAY we do it, needs to be directly from God, not our personal attitudes.
When we all as Christians begin to operate in love, when we seek the Face of God in every instance, we can change the world one person at a time. No, I do NOT believe that same sex marriage should be the law of the land. I believe that's a mistake in the overall scheme of things. But love covers. It softens hardened hearts. It breeds friendship and hope. And it changes lives.