08 February 2013

Cut them some grace.

The Westboro Baptist Church has offended everyone in some way. If they haven't offended you, you probably just haven't heard of them.

In a nutshell, it is an organization that exploits the name of God to hate on homosexuals, minorities, soldiers and the dead for publicity's sake. They were recently in the news for threatening to be at the Newtown funerals.

Considering all that, I was surprised to read that two sisters, Megan and Grace, one being an heir to the congregation, left the church. Read the article here.

Megan and Grace left everything that they've known their entire lives because they finally understand the grace that Christ freely gives.

The author writes, "Consider how traumatic it would be to know that your family is never supposed to speak to you again. Think of how hard it would be to have a fortress of faith built around you, and to have to dismantle it yourself, brick by brick, examining each one and deciding whether there’s something worth keeping or whether it’s not as solid as you thought it was."

Megan and Grace made a decision that I'm not sure if I'd be brave enough to do. Their present journey may be rough and lonely, but I know God has a reward for them in heaven.

I rejoice that Megan was able to understand, " that if the death penalty was instituted for any sin, you completely cut off the opportunity to repent. And that’s what Jesus was talking about."

Megan and Grace's wrote their own statement (read it here), "Up until now, our names have been synonymous with “God Hates Fags.” Any twelve-year-old with a cell phone could find out what we did."

Their hope is that the changes they make in their lives from here on out speak for themselves. And that's where we come in.

Pray for these girls as they try to figure out their lives apart from what they've been taught and raised to believe. Pray that they will not be the only ones to see that Westboro Baptist Church does not preach the love that our faith is about. And pray that God supplies people to support them, to care for them, and to love them.

Basically, cut them some grace.

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