LGBTQIA+ Pride month is now behind us (yes I know I’m late in getting my LGBTQIA+ Pride month post out - but better late than never, right?). It’s a month set aside for those of us in the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate who we are and how far we have come, while not forgetting that there is still work to do.
Being proud that I’m gay for me means self-acceptance. For me it means self-confidence. It means I can be fully out and not hide that part of myself.
There are multiple ways to define pride. Indeed, the dictionary lists multiple definitions. Self-acceptance and self-confidence are indeed one way to define pride as listed in the dictionary. This is a healthy pride.
Another way to define pride is a person having an inflated opinion of themselves. This type of pride says I’m better than you and more important than you.
This definition, where the person thinks they are better than another person, is the type of pride that the Bible rails against, and rightly so. This is an unhealthy pride.
But this isn’t the definition of pride that myself as a gay man, and so many others in the LGBTQIA+ community, use to define pride.
For so many of us, we were shamed for who we are. We were told we are an abomination. We were told we are living in sin. We were told that we are unworthy of love.
But with our healthy pride, we say, no. We aren’t an abomination. We aren’t living in sin. We are worthy of love.
We want love just like anyone else. We want acceptance just like anyone else. We want to have confidence just like anyone else. It will just all look as unique as the person seeking these virtues.
Gay pride for me means self-love. When I love myself, I’m better able to love others - just as Jesus loves us - just as God loves us.
Peace and blessings,
Pastor Alex
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