Because He did it first

I made a huge mistake today.

I went to the website for Fred Phelps, the "God Hates Fags" minister of Westboro Baptist Church.
(No, no link. Why give him anymore attention than he deserves?)

The hatred he spews is unfathomable. I just sat there, stunned by the power of his vicious rancor. I couldn't believe that someone could use the words of the God I love so much in such a way: it was almost like I was reading a fatwah from Osama. How could such hatred flourish, and be done in the name of the God I follow?

But then I realized that my God was even more powerful than what I was reading, and the tears started running down my face. My God. What a wonderful phrase. I try very hard to make sure my prejudices aren't mistaken for God's commands, so I'm not completely comfortable with the idea of mixing my emotions with my faith.

But still, there's that phrase, "my God." Why does it affect me so? It shouldn't, my all-time favorite line from a hymn is all possessive nouns: "Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend."

It's still surprising. Always will be. It's not that I can claim him for my own, it's that He claims me. The God that made the entire freakin' universe cares enough about this slug that He sacrificed Himself for me. My righteouness doesn't even cover the comic books I stole in tenth grade (Didn't know about THAT, did you, Mom? :-) ). God's righteousness covers that, and every other sin I've done, am doing or will do. And not because I earned it, worked for it, demanded it or acquired it. It's a gift, unmerited favour from above.

Amazing Grace. How truly sweet the sound. Because it's a sound that cannot be heard from the lips of mankind, it can only come from the mouth of God.

Fred, there's a God out there waiting who can forgive sins, who can allow you to love those you hate, and even allow those whom you hate to love you. He'll be waiting as long as it takes, but He won't wait forever. Whenever you want to talk to him, He's listening.