Spiritual Truths

This month, in the UK, is LGBT History month, and as part of that I am revisiting some of my favourite books by LGBT authors such as Armistead Maupin. Some of these books are also spiritual books such “Through Brokenness” by Liz Stuart which I highly recommend,

This week I have been reading 10 Spiritual Truths by Troy Perry, a book almost 20 years old, seeing how those messages continue to resonate for me.

The first truth that Troy Perry states is this;

“God did not make you so that God could hate you.”

What a powerful message. We all have these big questions; what is the point of life? what is my purpose in life? why did God make me who I am?

And we may never come close to knowing the answers, but one thing we can hold on to, one place we can start to explore from is the knowledge that God did not make any of us simply to be a receptacle for hate.

If you doubt that for a moment, remember the biblical truth; that you are made in God’s wonderful image, and to contemplate a self-hating God is ludicrous.

Let us go to God in prayer;

Holy Lord, Almighty Creator, we sit here before you and ponder the universe and all that is created around us. We thank you for the awe and wonder that it inspires in us, we thank you for our curiosity and our desire to know more and understand more.

We have so many questions, how and why have you brought this world in to being, why is it as it is?

We thank you Holy Creator that you gently reveal the truths and insights into this world, in gentle ways, in small moments, we learn the big truths though tiny revelations, revelations found I stillness, revelations found in action.

God, we thank you that we are your true and pure creation, that you made each of us unique and special. As humans, a desire burns inside each of us to understand why we are here, to understand why you have made each of us so wonderfully different.

We seek to understand our purpose, what are we here to see, to say, to do.

How can we best serve you, serve other, how can we live our very best lives?

We sit in prayerful silence each day to allow you to speak to us.

We take bold chances each day to practice that which may be our true purpose.

Heavenly Parent today we sit before you as living beings, each an example of how we are made in your perfect image. You have made us to be many things, but to be hated is not one of those things.

We sit in here in our truths and ask you to remind us that we are not here to be hated, feared, despised, made fun of, made to feel ashamed, made to feel guilty.

You do not get things wrong. We are not mistakes. We are awesome.

God you did not make us simply to be hated.

Lord Jesus today instil in us your empathy, your compassion your mercy, your unwavering love and remind us that all our siblings are made in God’s image.

Remind us that when we choose to hate or deride someone, we are not acting how you would want. We are not treating your beloved creations in the way they deserve.

No one is born to be hated so when we feel negative thoughts towards someone give us a moment to pause and ask, why do I feel this way? What does it say about me?

When someone acts in ways, we find abhorrent, remind us Jesus that this is not how they were made, call us to questions the things in our society that may have happened to meld them this way and send them on this path.

How can we act to create a more loving society so that people can live the lives of love and fairness that you desire for them?

How can we spread your message of love and mercy and compassion?

Holy Spirit fill us with a passion to go out and remind others that God does not hate them, that they too are beings worthy of love.

Amen