Gay Marriage

I may get some flack for this post, or loose followers of this blog or Twitter. But I must not play to the crowd; Yeshua (Jesus) never did.

When I read a blog post titled "Can a Real Christian Support Gay Marriage?" my first response was, "Why wouldn't a follower of Christ want someone to have a "happy marriage"? After all, that is the original definition of the word "gay."

But, I also knew the post was likely in response to the news that Obama admitted his support for gay marriage. I will also take a brave stand to say I see nothing wrong with it. It's not my chosen lifestyle, but I will not - ever - attack another for it. Nor would I deny them the right to make a relationship as committed as the one I share with my husband.

Look at the relationship between Ruth and Naomi: "Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. Your God will be my God." The focus of marriage should always be relationship first: the complete commitment to give oneself wholly and completely to the other, without reservation, from that point forward, to death or beyond. If the relationship is one of great commitment without reservation, why do we legally allow pre-marital contracts or divorce...?

There is logically the argument that the nature of Ruth and Naomi's relationship was mother-in-law/daughter-in-law rather than spouses. My point, though, is that many focus on that three-letter word: intercourse.

As to physical intercourse, I would like my readers to take into account this description:

First, there is a violent act, where one will have intercourse with another as a means of physical domination. This is not for love, nor procreation, nor pleasure. This is known as rape.

Second, there is the act where partners will have physical intercourse for the sake of pleasuring the body alone. This often leaves the ones who do this feeling empty inside.

Third, there are those who will perform the actions of physical intercourse for the purpose of acquiring something. This can be for money, favors, fame, reputation, position, promotion, a child, control, or manipulation of a person or situation. Sometimes only one person in the relationship is the one who does this; sometimes both.

Finally, there is the union where people physically express their love for each other and completely let down all barriers between themselves, giving themselves completely to another, without reservation.

Only the last one is acceptable.

Through our history, there are many marriages which are legally acceptable but fall into the second or third descriptions above. My stand is this: If the people are both as committed as Ruth was to Naomi and fall into the last description above, there should be no issue.

In the Old Testament, "go forth and multiply" was so important to the people that multiple wives PLUS concubines was the accepted norm. Now, at only the start of the twenty-first century, we face an overpopulated planet where resources are becoming scarce. There are also children growing up without one or both parents. Where is the love they need?

Do we really believe that the ability to procreate is a vital part of the commitment of marriage? What about the barren women, like myself? What about people who elect not to add to an overpopulated world? What about the elderly who get married in the years beyond procreative capacity? What about those who cannot perform physical intercourse or procreate due to medical reasons? Shall we ban marriage for these people as well?

Or is it that we want to control what goes on in the privacy of another's bridal chamber? Do we desire to place ourselves in judgement over our brothers and sisters? Or, as Christians, shouldn't we refrain from judgement and allow Christ, who alone sees truly into the hearts of all, be the One - the ONLY - judge?

I have seen many say that I must not be a "True Christian." But in faith and trust, I point to the list above. If there are people willing to commit to each other - without reservation - and make their lives as One to death or even beyond, who am I to stand in their way?

We are called not to be Judges.

We are called to Love each other.

Christ Loves us all.

~ ESA

The Woodpecker (Story)

Once upon a time, a woman lived on the outskirts of the village. She was a proud woman, with flowing red hair, beautiful face and attractive body. She was also well-known throughout the area for her culinary skills.

One day, a visitor came to her door. By local custom, she was obligated to invite this person in and offer him some food. But this was not the kind of visitor she wanted in her home. He was rank from being unwashed, his hair and beard were disheveled, plus his patched and worn clothing clearly indicated he did not the means to help better her own life.

She roughly escorted him through the front parlor, down the hall and seated him on a crude stool beside the back door in the kitchen. Then she ransacked her kitchen pantry for the humblest morsel she could feed him.

She spied some old bread and quickly popped the small, dry piece into her warming oven to heat it up. When she took it out a few minutes later, fresh steam rose from a whole loaf providing a mouth-watering aroma of freshly-baked bread. This was too good for her visitor, so she set it aside for her own supper and continued to search.

She spied a pair of rotting apples at the bottom of a bin and smiled. She quickly assembled a small apple tart and placed that in the oven to bake. The scent of cinnamon, baking apples, buttery crust and more filled her kitchen. When she pulled it out of the oven, the flaky crust was a beautiful golden brown. This was also too good for her visitor, so she set it aside for her dessert.

Her quest continued out the back door, and she came upon the manure pile. With a wicked smirk, she shoveled some into a tin and took it back to the kitchen. She added sugar and a few other ingredients hoping to disguise the foul stench of the original produce. The more she added the less foul it seemed. This, too, she popped into the oven, wondering what the result would be. In under an hour, she was staring aghast at the best chocolate mouse ever to grace her kitchen.

That did it! Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a large wooden spoon and chased the stranger from her kitchen. Just beyond the doorway, the stranger stopped and turned around. His stature grew as his appearance changed. With a sinking feeling the woman quickly realized who she had as her visitor...

"You witnessed a piece of stale bread become a whole fresh loaf, yet you failed to share it with me. You saw rotten apples become a beautiful tart, yet you failed to share it with me. And you beheld the most foul creation your mind could produce become one of your finest dishes, yet STILL you failed to share even THAT with me.

"For this, you and all your children shall spend the rest of your days feasting on insects and you will work hard for every morsel you consume."

As he was spoke, the woman began to shrink - smaller and smaller she became. Her fingers became feathers of wings, as her body sprouted feathers everywhere. The nose on her beautiful face became long and hard and her long beautiful hair was gone - leaving only a patch of red on her head as a bitter reminder.

Perhaps you have seen her or her children in this world. She can often be spied on the sides of trees as she hammers out her living, eating only insects for her meals.

- ESA