Be an ally

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” – John 8:7

I must, unfortunately, preface this piece by saying that the opinions held within are my own. They are not necessarily the opinions of organizations that I am involved with.

If you are offended or troubled by this piece, then your beef is with me, no one else.

Let’s talk about sin. That little thing that gets in our way with the perfect relationship with God. We all do it.

We all fall short, and we always will. Good thing we have God’s grace to carry our load. Luckily for us, the Bible is filled with sinners that we can learn and read about.

Take the story of the adulterous woman from John chapter 8. Jesus is at the temple, and a group of men bring a woman to him, claiming she has committed adultery. They want Jesus to make an example of her. (If you’re reading between the lines of this story, your first red flag should be the fact that only the woman was brought, not the man.) They are hoping that Jesus will call her out on her sin and make her repent. They wanted to embarrass her. They wanted to make her feel like a second class citizen, which she probably already felt like. But instead, Jesus does the opposite. He doesn’t scold her. He doesn’t belittle her. He calls out her accusers. He points out their hypocrisy.

And what do they do? They know enough to walk away and leave her alone. A story like this doesn’t happen today or at least doesn’t end this way. Oh no, we need to fight and argue to prove that we are right, even when we are not. It’ll get labeled as fake news, and sure enough someone will get told they are woke. It’s like the political ads we will continue to see this year. “I may have done these bad things… be so and so is worse!”

It’s June. That sentence alone probably tensed some of you up because you know what’s coming next. It’s Pride Month. (Yes, I know it is also Dairy Month, Men’s Mental Health Month, National Safety Month, National Pollinators Month, and National Adopt a Cat Month among others. And for those wondering, May is National Military Appreciation Month and November is Military Families Month.) It’s a time when all members of the LGBTQIA+ get the opportunity to be seen and heard. A time of remembering the Stonewall riots of 1969 that started the movement, and a time to remember all who have fought for equal rights. I’m an ally. What does that mean? That means I’ll stand there with you and fight for your rights. I’ll give you a safe space where you can be who you are. It also means that I will help reassure you that God loves you, and you are part of His Kingdom.

“But Stuie, what about the sins?” Oh yeah, I forgot! But did you forget the first part of this article that reminds you that we are all sinners, and will always be sinners? We are all free to believe what we want, and I am not looking to sway any minds with this article. I will tell you though, based on my research and beliefs, I feel that when I leave this world it won’t be other people’s sins that I have to answer for. It will be mine and mine alone. And trust me, we’ll all have enough of those to answer for.

The weight of this world is heavy. The weight of this movement is heavy.

There will always be conflict and struggle. So, what can we do about it? Well for starters we can quit judging each other for what we see as sin. Worry about your own sins you bring to the Lord’s table. Quit being mean to one another. Lead with love and respect for the rest of humanity. The same respect you expect and deserve. And most importantly, be who you are. God loves you that way!