On Love and Rainbows

So, my Facebook feed went crazy this week with various reactions to the LDS Church handbook changes regarding same-sex marriages and children in those families (more info here).  I have recently seen many friends and acquaintances leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over this issue (the proverbial straw, as it were).  They claim "it's about love" - well at least on that one point I agree with them.  It is all about LOVE.

When I saw the same-sex marriage policy change, my heart instantly went out to those who will be misunderstood, hated, abused, and shunned because of this, when they are only living their lives by being true to themselves, to what they believe, and acting with the love that consumes them.  Lest you mistake me, I am not referring to the same-sex couples and their children affected by this policy - but to the men who approved this policy change: The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I instantly thought about what this would mean for their lives.  And my prayers are with them.

These 15 men have given their lives to love.  They operate by the pure love of Christ, they are filled with and radiate charity for all of the children of God.  I have been privileged to meet several of them in person, and the light and love that surrounds their presence can be felt, and seen.  They are special witnesses of Christ, they know Him personally, they are on His errand and work in His ministry.  His work is for our joy, but the Lord is infinitely more concerned with our eternal joy than our immediate happiness.  I can't imagine anyone on this planet who would have less of a desire to cause pain or injury to another person than these 15 holy men.

I may not understand what the Lord is doing with His church, or the path that my life has taken as a result of choosing to follow Him, but I do know that He is at the helm.  The lines in the sand have been drawn for decades, and now walls are being built.  There is no neutral ground.  I can't help but recall Elder Neal A. Maxwell's reference to a "wrenching polarization" that would take place in the world in the last days.  Never did I think it would come about because of love.  I also never thought I would hear that "gender is not a matter of biology," but that too is a current issue...

I've pondered their decision, these prophets, seers, and revelators - who saw with clarity the pain and division this policy would generate inside and outside the Church, and went ahead with it anyway, because it was the Lord's will.  They feared the opinion of God more than man.  And I am grateful for them.  I love them.  And I will stand with them.  I feel for the pain of people on both sides of this policy.  The Lord requires hard things.  And I empathize with everyone who struggles to align their will with Lord's (which at some point I think includes all of us).

And I find it incredibly ironic, that the rainbow, the symbol God chose to represent His promise to Noah to never again flood the earth to cleanse it from sin - is being used by man in utter defiance, to stand for and glorify sin.  I know that there is absolute truth.  All will be held accountable at the last day.  And someday, all of Satan's cunning lies will be brought to light.  I'm grateful for God's grace, and His goodness.  For His patience, and understanding of all of us, as we navigate this fallen world in our own weakness and sin.

I marvel, that as Elder Ballard said, "the Lord's grace is sufficient to accomplish His work through mortals."  And as Elder Holland said, "be kind regarding human frailty—your own as well as that of those who serve with you in a Church led by volunteer, mortal men and women. Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we. And when you see imperfection, remember that the limitation is not in the divinity of the work."

I'm grateful for the Lord and His servants, and to know where and with whom I stand - come what may in these crazy mixed-up last, latter-days.