Gospel Message Day 136

Accepting and Loving God's Children

It is SO late! So here is another quick Gospel message on a topic I did not draw. I got to see the movie "Imitation Game" tonight. Very well done movie. We talked about lots of things concerning it even hours later. One thought that stays with me goes hand-in-hand with what some our Church leaders said in a press conference a week or so ago. (Find article about it here, which includes link to the full press conference.)

My friend and I talked about how so many--whether members or not members of our Church--don't understand why we take certain stands as we do. They don't understand that in our Church, we believe in God's laws. We believe that man cannot change those laws. They may change their own government's laws, but God's laws will remain intact no matter what government does or doesn't decree. And as members of the Church, we believe in upholding and maintaining God's laws first.

My friend summed it up perfectly: It's not the attraction that's the problem, it's the action. Take me and my single status, for example. I believe in God's law that sexual relations should only take place within the bonds of marriage--and that marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not now nor have I ever been married. But that doesn't mean that I haven't had sexual desires--an appetite that I would love to fill. There have been some very rough days because I am human, and humans crave physical affection. At least, this one does.

But I believe in God's laws, and I believe in following them. So though I have those attractions to many men I have met, my actions do not have me pursuing or following through on those attractions. I maintain my virtue, my chastity, and my fidelity to my future husband whomever he may be. Because I believe there is a right way and a right time--and I will be all the more blessed for waiting in my honoring and obeying God's law of marriage and intimacy. And if I never marry in this life, I will still obey that law no matter what the desires are. Because that is what I believe and how I choose to live.

You may wonder how this ties in with the movie. I just want to make it clear that while I do not, can not accept the actions of homosexual relations, consumption of alcohol, sexual relations outside of marriage, and other things that are against God's law, I still love the people. Those people still deserve our love and respect and kindness. And in this movie, that poor man did not receive it. I think his other disability (I'm sure he was on the spectrum) did not help. But whatever the case was, he, like so many others, did not get the love and respect that he deserved. Not just because he was brilliant and made such a huge contribution to saving lives and helping the world overall, but because every child of God deserves love, respect, kindness, and acceptance.