Embrace the Rainbow!

To start off, I have to mention that I can't sleep!  Insomnia rules the night, apparently.  If you haven't already, check out the time stamps on the most recent posts.  I often can't sleep because I am simply thinking too much.  Hence I consider myself to have a restless mind.

Okay, so here is the main thing I want to say.  I have been thinking about this for the last few days, but I have saved it for today for a reason, which you will discover upon reading further.  Now you're hooked, aren't ya?! Muahahaha! Goodness I need to sleep more.  I am using my evil laugh on the internet... sad.

Here it is:

A friend of mine is really good at making cakes.  Earlier this week she posted some pictures of these amazing rainbow cupcakes that she made.  The most hilarious thing is that a friend of hers who saw the picture had previously made a rainbow cake, and warned her to watch out for "psychedelic poop".  (I am pretty sure that this is now the third time that I have used the word "poop" in this blog.)  Upon seeing the pictures (and reading that they could induce colourful poop) I decided that I would try my hand at making some.  So, tomorrow after church, I am going to come home and make some rainbow cupcakes!  I am very excited. 

So, why did I wait this long? First of all, I work a lot, and tomorrow is my first opportunity this week to do any baking. Second of all, and most importantly, today is the Gay Pride Parade in Vancouver!!!  A few years ago I went to Vancouver with a friend to watch the fireworks that are put on every year.  It just so happened that the day we went was the weekend of the Pride festivities, and we chose to walk down Davie Street to get to English Bay where we were going to watch the fireworks. 

***  Christians beware!!!! The following is my personal opinion, and is likely

not the view of most other Christians.  This does not make me a heretic,

and if you think it does, then perhaps you need to keep reading and/or

go talk to your doctor about having been brain washed.  I hear

the process is reversible by simply opening your eyes.  *** 

When I was walking down Davie street which is sometimes referred to as “Gay Street” I was overwhelmed by what I saw.  No, it was nothing bad.  On the contrary, I saw more colour than I had ever seen on one street.  There were rainbow flags everywhere I looked.  I happen to love bright colours, so this was a wonderful sight to me.  The actual Pride Parade was the next day, so the street had already been closed down in preparation for the festivities.  There were people walking up and down the street, and they all had one thing in common: a sense of freedom.

Here is what I really need to say:  Gays and lesbians are people too!  To some, that may seem obvious, but the oppression that is often attributed with someone being openly homosexual is abhorrent.   I have heard gay people talk about Christians as people who are cruel and discriminatory because of their prejudices against homosexuality.  This is a fair assessment on their part, because from what I have personally seen, there are not a lot of Christians who are open to purposefully associating with gays and lesbians.

The reason that Christians started all this “gay bashing” is because the Bible specifically speaks out against homosexuality.  It is a sin, and sin is something that God can’t be around.

HOWEVER, every single person in the entire history of the world is a sinner!  Seriously!  All of those Christians who are out holding up signs and shouting hateful words at people for their sins, they are all equally as guilty and just as impure and undeserving of God’s grace and mercy as any of the people whom they speak out against.  It makes me sick.  The thing that drives me absolutely bonkers is that Jesus himself speaks out against one thing more than any other topic: hypocrisy!  He literally HATES it!

Just because someone is gay, doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love them.  God loves EVERYONE.

 

According to the Bible, acting out on homosexuality  is a sin.  So is adultery.  So is murder.  So is stealing.  So is lying.  Do you get it?  They are all the same in God’s eyes, so who are we to look at the sins of another and declare that person unworthy of God’s grace?  We are nothing but equally guilty sinners, and if we have anything to say about it, it should be that God loves them, and is willing to forgive them, if only they should ask.

Anyone can be saved.  Anyone can become a Christian and be forgiven of all of the sins in their life, past present and future, by giving their life over to Jesus and stepping into all of the wonderful things that He has in store for them.

Bah.  I am frustrated.  I don’t even know how to continue articulating myself on this subject without people getting mad at me on either side of the issue.  Pretty much, I feel that I am just as “bad” as a gay person, and I am just as acceptable as a gay person in the eyes of Christ.  I believe in a God who loves and accepts.  I believe in a God who forgives and redeems all those who are washed in the blood of Christ.  I also believe that hell is real, and if ANY person, (because we all have sin) whether they be gay straight or bisexual does not accept Christ, they will not be forgiven and therefore, any sins that they have committed in their life will be held against them.

That is the thing with God.  He is ALL love, and He is completely 100% pure.  The reason He has to make the choice to cast judgment on sinners, is because sin is impure.  God is pure, and He therefore cannot be around sin.  (This is not to say that God is only in some places and with some people.  I believe that God is everywhere, and plays a part in everyone’s life journey whether they are aware of it and believe it or not.)  The beauty of it all is that God doesn’t WANT to be away from us.  He is ALL love, like I said, so when He sees us sinning it breaks His heart.  If we have not been saved through Jesus Christ, then in the end, we have to be judged for what we have done.  God doesn’t ever force Himself on anyone.  I just wish that everyone could know how much God loves them, because if everyone one honestly knew, I Am sure that we would all one day be together in heaven.

Alright… back to rainbows and cupcakes and stuff.  When I was walking down Davie Street, I saw freedom.  It may not have been the freedom that I feel in Christ, knowing that I am forgiven, but it was freedom nonetheless.  These people were all walking around as equals with the rest of society.  What a shame it is that they can only REALLY be so free when they congregate together for one weekend.  Oppression of gays and lesbians needs to STOP!  How would you like it if all of a sudden the major sin in your life was all of a sudden made known and declared “socially unacceptable”?  How would you feel if one of the only ways to feel truly free was to get together with everyone else like you and have a parade, trying with all your might to get others to see that you are human too?  I bet you would see things a little differently. 

That being said, I say we all embrace the rainbow!  Not necessarily gays specifically, but just people as a whole.  The rainbow that is the symbol for Gay Pride stands for diversity.  We live in a world of much diversity on many levels, so let’s expand our horizons.  Quit with the boring monochrome life and join the rainbow movement – embrace diversity.  You are a part of it, after all.

*Rainbow cupcake post soon to come*