Seeing the Face of God in Those We Judge

Just last week, a few days prior to the Orlando shootings, I was hiking with a friend at the Grand Canyon. She asked me what I thought about gay marriage, not about the legalities that come with marriage, but about homosexual partnerships. Given the recent shootings at the gay bar in Orlando, I thought it timely to share these thoughts with you.

The world we live in is made of love. Everyone is entitled to love. Everyone needs love. If two people of the same gender truly love each other, why would anyone want to keep that couple from having that love in their lives?

For most people who identify as homosexual, I do not believe we are going to change them, nor do I believe it is right to change them. How can one truly know what is in the heart of another, other than the essence of unconditional love that resides at the core of every human being?

If the homosexual person is not capable of having love with someone of the opposite gender, would we expect him to live a lie or to live without love to please the heterosexual community?

I believe everyone is meant to experience love in this life. If it comes to them through a homosexual relationship, I will not be one to condemn them.

God makes everything in this world, including the homosexuals and those who judge them.

Whether talking about homosexuals or race or religious affiliation, it’s painful to hear people say, “Let them all kill each other,” or “Let’s kick them all out of this country.” Is this a higher state?

We are all meant to know love and compassion and to see the face of God in every face. We are given many varied opportunities to find God. In some cases, the divine beauty is clear and easy to see. In other cases, we are challenged to see God’s light. That which we perceive as challenges are opportunities for us to grow.

Our hearts are made to oscillate between the inner world of unconditional love and the outer material world which is based on conditions. We are meant to question. We need guidelines to help us discern right from wrong and to govern ourselves and our communities.

However, when one is not harming another, what right does anyone have to intervene? How can any person know the intricacies at the depths of the heart of another or the path that person has been given to traverse in this lifetime?

Only God knows the truth of what He puts in any heart. Our task is to find the truth in our own hearts and to have love and compassion for our brothers and sisters and to help them do the same.

We cannot know God until we love for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves. No one wants judgment and persecution for being true to his heart.

There is only one Judge. When we judge others, we make ourselves a partner to the One Who has no partners.

Our job is to find compassion and love for our brothers and sisters without separation. Our task in this life is to see the face of God in every face.

This was the answer I gave prior to the shootings, and it’s still the answer today.

© Epicstock | Dreamstime.com - Gay Couple Watching Sunset Photo