You Gotta Have Faith

There is no such thing as a little faith any more than there is a little pregnancy. Faith is an overwhelming power no matter how weak it may seem. Given half a chance it will take over and direct our lives, comforting us when we are discouraged and challenging us when we are complacent. -- Father Andrew Greeley

Faith is defined in many different ways by many different people. I like Andrew Greeley's definition because it reminds us that faith is not something we can loose easily. It has suction cups and sticks to us through the most difficult of times. This is good news for all people of faith, but it is especially good news for the LGBT community.

I've had numerous conversations with gays and lesbians who have endured rejection and outright hostility from the church and have, not surprisingly, left in despair. They begin to wonder if they still have any faith at all. However, I have discovered that they are still spiritual people at their core. The church may have knocked them against the ropes, by they are not out of the fight yet. There is a yearning inside of them to reconnect with God. That yearning, I believe, if faith.

No matter what bad experiences we've had with the church [and our straight friends can tell as many horror stories as we can] I hope that we will not give up but let faith do its work in our lives. God loves all God's children [LGBTSQ and any other letter of the alphabet we may identify with] and has planted a seed of faith in our lives that will not die easily. It is there to comfort us when we are discouraged and challenge us when we are complacent. Let us open our hearts and spirits today so that faith can do it's miraculous work in our lives.