He made us this way for a reason...

This is a rant. I was so frustrated after our church dinner group that I came home and vented. I didn't publish it right away b/c i knew I was pretty steamed and venting. I decided to go ahead and upload it because it's how I felt at the time,and probably still feel now - even if I would say it with a bit less heat. As you can tell, it was a pretty intense discussion... :)

Dear ____,

Do you know her story? Where she came from? What she came through? How can you honestly sound so disgusted? You sit there and talk about God and morals but you don't mean it the way you sound, all convinced that the world thinks the way you do. You are holding her up to your own moral code. Even if the world (and God) believed as you do, do you ever make mistakes? Would you like to be cast out for them because I, or anyone else, deem them too large? Your condemnation and judgment is ugly. This is an opportunity for discussion and progress; a test of your faith, your love, and your forgiveness. If nobody ever made a mistake, the world would become stagnant.
You say it's different because she's a role model, because it's church. Do all role models, then, have to hide away their imperfections, their embarrassments? sweep it under the carpet and keep it all a shameful secret? What if it's not an embarrassment to her? What if she's excited about this? What if she's ready? And church! Kick her while she's down because it's CHURCH!? Do we really hold people at church to that unattainable saintly standard just because it's church? Are we all supposed to walk around covering our sins and putting on a pure white mask of Godly perfection in God's house? What better place for screw ups than church. Please, tell me. Isn't that where we can all go, no matter how low we feel?

What would happen if you just loved her. Imagined her as your child instead of imagining your child like her. Would you hold her? Tell her it's all okay and she's loved no matter what? Even if you are disappointed.

If you really think about your life, and every decision you ever made - even if it all turned out okay - are you not a screw up too? And who gets to decide what is "right" anyway? Shouldn't that be left up to the big guy? Maybe this is exactly right for her.

Kee talks at camp about the Kingdom of God. Nobody gets kicked out, no matter what. God doesn't love you any less because you're imperfect. He made you that way.