And when, on December 1, 1955, weary Seamstress Rosa Parks was allocated to the margin, and followed her spontaneous conviction to keep her allocated seat on a full bus... I would have tried to be there, for open encouragement (I was a mere 3-1/2 month-old).
I’ve never been a girly-girl. Gawky, with size 10 feet, I shied away from the high school cheer-leading group. Clueless-ness kept me from any “in-crowd.” I desperately yearned for popularity, but identified with invisible. I feel the sting that “different” brings.
So, years ago, why did I not step onto the band wagon, protecting a hated and ridiculed people-group? Gay relatives are in my extended family. One, even in the 1970s, despite his strict religious upbringing, unpopularly lived the early days of gay, a scorned and secretive lifestyle.
In 2007 a female relative quietly “came-out.” For years I earnestly and sincerely searched my heart for the loving response. I looked to the Bible, because I am a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. In other words, I attempt to love Jesus and others, and worship a Holy God.
Now, with the newly-passed nation-wide acceptance of gay marriage, I should be cheering. A formerly shunned people-group is now officially accepted by the government. My Facebook profile picture should be rainbow-filtered. But with deep regret, it cannot and will not be.
The Old Testament’s Isaiah 5, combined with or “rainbow-arched” to the New Testament's Acts 5 story of Ananias and Sapphira, today crystallize my beliefs. The couple, Ananias and Sapphira, separately "...fell down and died." Why? Among other suppositions, Bible scholars presume because it was a critical time in the fledgling Church’s formation. Honesty, love, and sharing were crucial for the Church’s sustenance.
Encourager Barnabas sold a field and gave the entire proceeds to the Church. On the heels of that, Ananias and Sapphira followed suit, selling a piece of property and presenting the proceeds to Apostle Peter. They claimed their donation was the entire sale amount. They held back. They misrepresented their gift as being equal to Barnabas’ sacrifice.
Their deed was pre-meditated. They blatantly conspired together to lie. Darkness was presented for light. Evil for good. The New Testament journals the sad and shocking woe directed to Ananias and Sapphira. Their souls instantly left this earth. But one day might we see them in Heaven?
My relatives’ excitement for being officially accepted by our government and as a couple by the health care system is understandable. Two years ago my blog sorted through some confused thinking: Walk a Mile in My Shoes. My heart grieves, and they know my personal feelings. They appear to present openly, for all to see, their all and their best. They are amazing people. But only God and God alone knows their hearts and whether or not they hold back.
After years of soul-searching, it is not pleasant to "come-out" officially with my increasingly unpopular stand. Christians live in America, but America is not a Christian nation. So, why be surprised when our government overturns Christian-based laws? We were founded on those laws, and until a few decades ago, the courts attempted to uphold them. But then we started to become the "enlightened" [sarcasm intended], and set free from biblical standards.
June's National recent ruling in favor of gay marriage distills my nerdy beliefs, and pushes those beliefs to life on the margins. In Isaiah 5 (not a light read) the Prophet shares 6 unpopular woes that I believe apply to America today. Psych. Surprise. And even whoa. I am protecting a scorned and ridiculed people-group, standing up for the rigid and inflexible... for those who attempt to embrace the sobering Isaiah 5 woes balanced with Micah 6:8: "To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
