Page 35 - March 2014 Catalyst

hurt and pain. All of her life she has been looking for love in all of the wrong places.
All of the men in her life had hurt her. Fi- nally she found comfort and the love of a woman. Seeking the nurture and love that only a women can give her, like a mother’s love or the love of a true friend. So con- fused, so ashamed, dammed to hell by what she called judgmental, arrogant, un- loving and hypocritical Christians. And as I look in to her eyes seeing her pain I was able to say to her cry out to the Lord, cry out to the Lord. He will ful ll the desire of those who fear Him: He will also hear
from my conversations with Mara is that sometimes women that might think they are homosexual, really, might just be very confused about their sexuality. Many peo- ple who are sexually abused or come from families with an abusive or absent father gure or perhap have been hurt by men sometimes confuse thoughts of homosex- uality with other issues in their lives. Un- derstanding that every situation is di er- ent, I’ve decided that loving Mara to Jesus is better than beating her into the ground because of her lifestyle choices.
I don’t claim to be an expert on homosex- ual orientation and/or behavior and much of it I don’t understand. While many gays are ghting for equal rights and the right to same-sex marriage, I feel Mara is cry- ing out for help. How can we as Christians share the gospel in love? Not surprisingly, there are no easy answers, methods or for- mulas for these situations or for witness- ing to someone who is gay. Each person and situation is very di erent. I believe the key to sharing God’s love is listening and honest, loving communication. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. How do hurtful comments t into that? Not very well. He commands us to love one another as He loved us, John 13:34. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will nd rest for your souls. Matt 11:28-30. I pray that Mara will come to Christ simply because He is God, responding to the wonderful truth of the Gospel.
luella redFern
Executive Director of the Esther Women of In uence, shown with her husband, Bishop Redfern II
your cry and will save you. Psalm 145:19.
We tend to put everyone in the same cat- egory. Never taken the time to listen to their story. Never trying to understand or to give direction. Never letting them know that the Bible is true from cover to cover. e wrath of God is real and the love of God is true. 1 Corinthians 13:13 tells us “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love conquers all. One thing I’ve learned
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