The Pope Gets It

While I am not a Catholic, I am growing to like and respect Pope Francis.  He seems to have a sincere passion for the lost and broken people in this world.  I also appreciate the fact that he has shunned some of the extravagance that traditionally has come with the office.  He also made a statement last week than reinforced my esteem for the pontiff.  Concerning gays he stated, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge."

Don't get me wrong.  I still believe that homosexuality runs counter to God's desire for his people.  I also maintain that the marriage relationship should be limited to one male and one female.  I have come to the conclusion that being gay is not a choice for some people.  Some people are born gay.  It is the way they are wired.  They have a natural tendency to be attracted to those of the same sex.  They are who they are.   I remember telling my students when I was teaching psychology; it's not the emotion or desire that is bad, it's what we do with it. We have a choice when it comes to behavior.  Our actions should always be God pleasing. 

God desires a relationship with each one of us.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our advocate and make that possible.  When we seek that relationship, our lives are transformed.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can live lives of service.  The color of our skin or our sexual orientation does not change that. 

Jesus loves all people.  We need to go no further than John chapters 3 and 4.  In John 3, He has a conversation with Nicodemus, a man who represented everything Jesus stood against.  In John 4, He encounters a woman who is living with a man outside of marriage.  Jesus loved them both for who they were, not who he wanted them to be.  He calls us to do the same.  Our world is full of people who are different than us.  Some of those people live lifestyles that run counter to ours.  Others have worship traditions or revere gods other than The Trinity.  In some cases we might even find friends or members of our own family heading down that path.  God calls us, in all circumstance, to be Jesus and love them for who they are, not who we want them to be.  Without a relationship we have no opportunity to make a difference in their lives.