Nessa Inspired

If you take Christianity at its core, there is no room for taking responsibility for anyone else's spirituality. It is similar to how you can't legislate morality. We all agree on certain rules in our socieity. No matter how much it would increase your pursuit of happiness, your desires end where they infringe on another's life and liberty.

I follow Jesus. He lives in my heart. I believe he was God, mucking around in his own, created humanity in order to reach us with a voice we could hear, a body we could touch and see, and love we could emulate. Those who believe that followers of Jesus should separate themselves from "the world" are not following in his steps--he did quite the opposite.

He immersed himself in us. He let himself be fully engaged and influenced by us. No holds barred. He had a one-on-one relationship with God, the father, that no one else could shatter, influence or come between. He told others how he lived and what he believed. And then he lived it. He dictated to no one. Some may disagree with that, however, if he was dictating, we wouldn't have the choice to disagree.

To my fellow believers, I tell you, we only take one soul with us when we die. Our own. We do not get to take a laundry list of souls "we saved" or "brought to Jesus" with us. You don't get to say all the great things you did, how many abortion rescues you attempted, how many books you wrote, or how may Pride parades you protested. It means nothing to Christ. The only thing that matters to Jesus is whether or not you and he know and love each other.

Jesus saves souls. He is the only one capable of it. He is the only one who woos and courts souls. And guess what? He knows what he's doing.

I say all this in response to the podcast of a friend I respect and who is linked in the sidebar, Nessa. She poured her heart out in a podcast regarding the young, gay kids who recently commited suicide because they were so rejected by our society.

I ask you, who does Jesus reject? Where does he specifically tell followers of God to shun those who we, in our pride and self-righteousness, consider less than ourselves?

Some say, love the sinner, not the sin. I say, God loved and still loves us in our sin! Every human being will be a sinner until the day we die. If we expect and hope that God loves us despite our sin, who are we to even think to cast a self-righteous glance at anyone else?

We do not get to determine the relationship of another person with God. We do not get to treat people with cruelty and disdain. We get the priviledge of living our own lives in absolute humility at the great gift our creator bestows on us...his love and acceptance.

So it comes down to this. God has poured out love and undeserved mercy on us. That is the core of what we Christians believe. How can we do any less for those around us? How dare we? I don't care if the people around you are gay, straight, living with someone, athiest, pagan or just plain different, we are called to love, show mercy and have compassion.

There are those who would say, "But if I show love, mercy and compassion, I am condoning someone's sin!" Really? Then hurl that accusation at Jesus because that's how he lived his life. That's what God does every single day. He loves us despite our disdain, unkindness, cruelty, back-biting and every other human evil.

God love us. All of us.

We don't get to claim any of his good work. Not one little bit. We get to love. Everyone. Unconditionally. Just like he does.

If we, as Christians, are not bringing healing into the lives of others, we are off track. If others are repelled by us, then we are off track. People were drawn to Jesus. He had the words of life. The words of life draw people; they don't push people away.

More than any other group, Christians have pushed away the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. We have pushed them away. We have said they are not welcome among us.

I am not exempt from this. I have held my GLBT friends at arms length. I have struggled deeply with this, as I don't hold anyone at arms length. It is cold and I am not cold. On this issue, I am a divided person.

But now that young people are jumping off of bridges and killing themselves, now that Nessa has so eloquently and genuinely put out a plea for simple compassion, I can't be divided. I can't shun anymore. I can't be "nice" and that's all.

How is that Christlike?

How can we not show compassion?

When will we learn that it is not our job to "save" people? It is our job to love people.

God, please teach me to love better.