First and foremost!! My grand daughter, Avery Clair Williard, will be here tomorrow!! Yay!! I can not wait to see that sweet little face!! So if you are reading this before 5:00 pm on July 27th, please say a pray that everything go well. If it is after she is born you can still pray :) Pray for health of Avery and healing for Kristy.
On a MUCH different subject: I am not an outspoken political person. I hate how politics divide people and bring out some very ugly sides of people. And this subject isn't really a political one but some have made it one such as the mayors of Chicago and Boston. It is about the stuff going on with Chick-fil-A. I have heard a little bit about it but not much until today when I was ready facebook. I'm sure you know all about it but Dan Cathy who's father started Chick-fil-A, spoke out on his views concerning family and same sex marriage. He is against it and believes the family should be as the bible says it should, one man and one women. Because of this many people are blasting him and the company and saying they won't eat there and saying really mean things. Here is why this troubles me.
1. I believe that same thing as Dan Cathy. I can not speak for him but I would not be surprised if he was to say he does not hate those who do not believe the same as him. As for myself, I believe God calls us to love ALL people. Here are a few verses that state this:
Zechariah 8:17
do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the LORD."
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I don't always like stances people take and sins people commit. But guess what. I have sins in my life as well. And God promises to never leave me in spite of those sins because I have accepted Him as my savior. I think if God can love the sinner so should everyone. I am not just saying that Christians are above everyone and should love everyone I am saying every one has sins in their life and everyone, despite your views, should respect each other and not start name calling and judging.
2. God gave us free will. Sometime I think that it would be easier if God just made all my decisions for me. But then I would never rely on God for help and He wants me to ask Him for help. If we didn't have free will we could not have that free will to accept Him into our lives. So we have free will to make the decisions that shape us. Of course God wants our decisions to be in line with His word. But sometimes people choose differently. That does not mean we should wish them ill or hate them.
3. We live in a country that gives us freedom of speech, and religion. If mayors are going to start shutting down businesses that don't have the same values as them then where does that leave our freedom in this country? See while the owner of Chick-fil-A does not agree with same sex marriage and relationships his restaurant will still serve and employ those with a different view. This is not the message that those mayors and others like that are giving. They are saying if you don't believe like me you don't deserve to have a business that employs people and feeds people and helps the economy. Also, I know the company gives back to the community. I know our local one is doing a school supply drive and they do other things as well. There are a lot of businesses that believe differently then the Chick-fil-A owners do that do not give back.
I am not a very good writer and I am sure that I have committed a lot of grammatical and spelling errors in this blog but I just wanted to convey my sadness on all the hate I see because people do not agree. I feel like if you don't agree with me or chick-fil-a that is fine. We can still get a long. If you choose to not go someplace that has a different value then yours that is fine, I will do the same. But unless it is causing harm I don't think we should try to ruin the business like some are doing with Chick-fil-A. I am not worried about them. God will see them through this. I believe they will prosper. And there are more ways to prosper them monetarily.
Ultimately, God does not like sin whether it be same sex relationships or lying or gossiping or disobeying the laws such as speeding (we all do it from time to time). But He still loves everyone and He sent His son to die for everyone. I hope you understand that I am not saying that we should accept sin and not strive to live as sinless as we can. We have to stand up for what we believe in. But we shouldn't do it in hate. I have had lots of friendships with people who view things differently then me. Do I become joined at the hip with those who believe completely opposite then me? No. But we can still show respect for one another. If they ask me my opinion I will give it to them without judgement. I wish others would do the same.
