Alexis & Allison

June 16, 2009

Dear Fellow Travelers,
In my church bulletin for yesterday, I wrote an article (with a particular motive in mind), telling my congregants that later in the evening I would be officiating at the wedding of Alexis and Allison. I emphasized the fact, that although I have married many couples over the past 30 years, this was my first time for an “Alexis & Allison” couple. I took the time to be sure that everyone had read the article, and, then, I asked if there were any comments. The looks on their faces and the whispers from their mouths were a dead giveaway—they minds were in gear and they were (for the most part) all thinking the same thing.
Have you noticed how quick we are to jump to conclusions? Have you noticed how easily our minds can be manipulated? Have you noticed how quick we are to make judgments based upon our perceptions, rather than on facts? Have you noticed how often what seems to be true is not true at all? Have you ever stopped to think about the number of rumors, false rumors, that you have initiated, as the result of your jumping to conclusions be-fore getting the facts? Have you ever considered the number of lives you have trashed be-cause of your making judgments based upon your perception of truth, rather than on actual truth? Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that much of what you perceive to be truth is not truth at all?
Of this I am confident: Had I not taken the time to clarify their perceptions of truth, the news would have somehow leaked out that I had married a gay couple, and, to be sure, the rumors would have been flying (Just for the record, that would not have bothered me in the least; in fact, I would have probably enjoyed it, even though I am quite convinced that God has made His position on the subject of gay marriage quite clear—He is against it. Yes, I am aware that my perception of God’s opinion on this subject could be very erroneous).
For this article, however, the subject is not about gay marriage; instead, it is about our tendency to jump to conclusions before we have the facts; it is about our tendency to believe that our perceptions of truth are actually truth; it is about our tendency to trash others based upon our perceptions of who they are, rather than who they really are.
Just for the record (in case you haven’t already figured it out), Alexis is a full-blooded, able-bodied male, and Allison is a beautiful female. The wedding was beautiful and it presented me with an incredible opportunity to love others because He loves me.