The Courage to Imagine a New World
I used to think…
That everyone was just like me and my family… or should be. That when I was forced to think about LGBTQ people, I was uncomfortable. That I wished these people no ill but they really had nothing to do with me…
…but now…
over the past 30 years I have become aware of the spectrum that is gender and sexual orientation. I have become aware of the many people in my community who have had to hide who they are, who have suffered, who have been excluded. I have been able to put faces and names to those people. I think I have broadened my view of the world. This would not have happened but for the courageous people who knew a wrong, who could imagine a new world and who had the courage to take a stand, the strength to hold that stand and the patience to wait for the rest of us to catch up.
I like where my church stands today. But I have learned that when I am too comfortable, the world is probably ready for another shift. What opinions do I hold today that need to be held up to be re-examined?
Signed, John
(Shared with permission. Photo: Wix.)
![forest from above](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3eef9b5374f9428892e3dc01fb3cf91d.jpg/v1/fill/w_147,h_110,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/3eef9b5374f9428892e3dc01fb3cf91d.jpg)