Lauren Sparks

But back to imperfect earth – the place where we don’t always get to see the finished product.  We wonder why things happen the way they do.  Are there pieces of your life that don’t seem to fit?  Do you question “why”? Maybe you are even angry about something that makes about as much sense to you as Lady Gaga’s fashion choices.  Guess what?  You are human…having a very human experience in a very confusing world.  And sometimes we long for the comfort of questions answered.  We want to attach some meaning to what seems meaningless.  And sometimes in His great mercy, God sees fit to show us glimpses of that.  I believe He has done that to some extent for me where Shelby’s condition is concerned.  When she was younger, I used to pray for her complete healing.  But I believe God uses her health to give me easier opportunities to tell others about Him.  You see, I am not a bold witness.  I wish I had the gift of evangelism, but it doesn’t come easy for me.  I am timid and awkward with it.  And since I typically shy away from bringing up my relationship with Jesus, God has provided an avenue for people to approach me.  “How is Shelby doing?”  I have been asked hundreds and hundreds of times in her young life.  This sweet inquiry offers me the chance to not only update people on her, but to share with them how God is answering prayers and how He is moving in our family.  I no longer believe that Shelby will ever be completely healed this side of heaven.  I still pray for the cessation of her seizures and suffering and for her to increase in strength, skills and knowledge.  And I will live to see some of those prayers answered here.

Do I think my witness is the only reason Shelby has Dravet Syndrome?  No.  I would never presume to know the mind of God outside of what is written in the scriptures (and even what is in the scriptures I wrestle with at times).  I believe our lives and actions and words and conditions have far reaching effects – so far that we will probably never be able to measure.  In a sermon I podcasted, my friend Damon Parker put it something like this:  If someone splashes in the East China Sea, is there a hurricane in Galveston?  The splasher may never see the effects, but must be aware that his life changes things.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28.  We have to KNOW even if we never see the GOOD.  That’s faith.  (“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”)  And faith is hard.  Especially when something we are dealing with is so difficult that it seems beyond good reason:  a young child dies; you are devasted financially, a parent is diagnosed with cancer; etc, etc, etc.  We most certainly will never understand it all here in this world, but God’s Word promises us that God will reveal everything we need to know someday.  “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”  1 Corinthians 13:12  Take comfort in that.

As most of you already know and may have since forgotten, Phil Robertson (the patriarch of the Duck Dynasty clan), was asked in an interview for GQ Magazine what his beliefs were regarding homosexuality.  Mr. Robertson gave his honest opinion in a rather gruff, off-the-cuff manner and came under fire from conservative and liberal groups alike.  Some lauded him as a hero, others villified him and his entire family.  This is exactly what the writer of the article intended.  Constroversy sells.  Because of the polarizing nature of these remarks, and the remarks of others before him, it is my belief that Christians should stop answering this question.  Robertson was not the first high-profile believer to be confronted with this question and he won’t be the last.  It is a trap.  The New Testament records several occations in which Jesus was asked difficult questions in an attempt to stump him or discredit him.  And He always managed to turn the answer toward things that were more important than the question facing Him.  I think we should follow His example.  I used to think that getting involved in “causes” was a major part of being a Christian.  The older I get, the more convinced I am that our primary job is to love people and tell them that Jesus loves them.  1 Corinthians 15:3, 11 says, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…so we preach and so you believed.”  When we preach the love of Christ and what He sacrificed for us, people come to Him.  My hunch is that no one read that magazine article, and was so touched by the denouncement of homosexuality that they immediately committed their life to God.

I am not condoning a cowardly “No Comment” type of answer to the question of homosexuality, but simply a redirection.  For example, let’s pretend that I am somebody and am being interviewed by…say… “Rolling Stone”. Interviewer:  “Mrs. Sparks, do you think homosexuality is a sin against God?”  Response:  “I believe that question can be very inflammatory, so what I would like to say is that I believe everyone is a sinner.  And we all need Jesus to cover over those sins for us.  The most important thing for me to tell you today is that God loves you, and He sent Jesus to pay the price for all of our sins on the cross.  It is not my job, nor is it appropriate for me to judge individual sins.  And it really doesn’t matter what I have to say about homosexuality or any other topic.  What matters is what the Bible has to say about it.  And you can look that up for yourself if you would like.  I would like to tell you about Jesus.  And if you choose to enter into a relationship with Him, He will – in time – reveal any areas of your life that need changing for your betterment.  He is showing me things all the time.”  1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”  It is only after we are walking with God that we can truly understand the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots”, so we shouldn’t lead with those.  And we, as sanctified believers, have got to stop expecting those without a relationship with Christ to “have the mind of Christ”(v 16)

If you are in a spiritual one on one discussion with someone and that person asks you a direct question about an issue, I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t answer to the best of your ability.  But for an audience that you do not have a relationship with, pray about whether this redirection is more appropriate.  You say you don’t think you will ever be interviewed by “Rolling Stone” OR “GQ”?  What about Facebook.  Are we taking a stand AGAINST things when we should be standing FOR the love of Christ?  Tweets or status updates can be easily misunderstood and it’s hard to convey your heart on difficult topics in 140 characters or less.  So I say all that to sum up with this:  Love others where they are, and let God worry about the rest.