about having the conversation

In the past week, World Vision (probably the most established international Christian nonprofit) made the announcement that they would no longer prohibit employment to those in same-sex marriages. This afternoon, they retracted the statement, following massive and wide-spread debate over the action. 

As you can imagine, this has been a big story. 

And it has captured my attention fully - not only as a woman of faith who is daily determining what that looks like in the world, but as a human who is intrigued and concerned about the way we interact with each other. 

Quite honestly, this story has broken me. It makes me feel heavy.  

I've been reading all the articles I can get my hands on about this, and I've been thinking about it all day, and I have one million thoughts.  But I wanted to write briefly tonight, not to convince you of an opinion.  I just have a question: 

What if we valued the way we have the conversation as much as the conversation itself?

My heaviness comes from a sense that as this story is spurring discussion, we have not taken a breath before opening our mouths.  As we are responding, we are missing a true sense of intentionality.  There is little grace.  There is, however, a lot of attack and defense.  There is a my side and your side type of mentality.  There is division. I admire those who boldly stand up for truth, but I think we must also take caution about how we stand.  

When every comment section of every article on this story is filled with aggressive words against every opinion, what does that reflect?  To me, it reflects to the world that our focus is not our common Savior, but that we are willing to push away others in condemnation, all for the sake of getting it right.

It's easy sometimes, to get so caught up in the battle that we forget the cause.  But let's not forget. Let's not forget the gospel above all else.

The cross above all else.

Jesus, born for us, died for us, risen for us –

Above all else. 

These truths, yes, are worth defending. But they are also truths that are so glorious that they should become invitation.  They are meant as celebration.  They may be (and often will be) rejected, but they are not weapons used to cast out and wound.    

There are a lot of important conversations we need to have about faith and how to live it out.  They will not be easy conversations.  We will likely loose friends over these conversations, and we will be condemned, and we will be misunderstood.  But as we have them, let’s us please please remember the grace that was awarded to  us.  We do not have these conversations to be "right" over those who are "wrong".  These conversations are not about us. We have them because Jesus is above EVERYTHING, He is the goal.  It's not a my-team-won-over-your-team sort of deal.  There is no scoreboard.  There is simply the truth, which we will stumble over a thousand times.  But let's get there together.  Let's invite each other inside to look for it, hand in hand.  

I know that's hard.  But somewhere, in my heavy heart that fears division and gracelessness and condemnation, there is a hope that this is possible.  Let's try.