I bit

I once heard someone say, "Whatever you look for, that you will find."

I recently bit on a hook.  The hook was a Facebook forum in response to my friend's status about homosexuality.  The hook jarred it's way into my cheek; I was caught and I couldn't get lose.

Homosexuality.

In my experience, it's a word that carries so much weight, so much emotion and so much baggage, that one can hardly enter the discussion without worrying about its ramifications.  If you think homosexuality is a sin, you're called a "hater."  If this is your opinion, your debaters categorically lump you in with the pictures they've seen of people holding signs that say, "God hates fags."  Once you're lumped in with this category, it's hard to escape.  Once you're lumped in with this category, you're seen as over-emotional, oppressive, and a reason for some people's atheism.  On the other end of the spectrum, if you think homosexuality isn't a sin, some Christians talk to you like you're stupid - like you don't get it.  Once you're placed in this category, some Christians want you to read this book or that book in order to convince you to leave the dark side and come back to the light.

This sort of heated discussion often spirals out of control without any redemptive value.  Most of the time, it's counter-productive for both sides.  It can leave people scarred, hurting, and without hope.  It can leave people cold, hard, and turned off.

Emotion.  Baggage.  Weight.
Once you bite, it's hard to get the hook out of your cheek.

Back to the "Whatever you look for, that you will find," quote.  Today, I needed to meet one of my friends for lunch at Moe's Southwest Grille in Grand Rapids.  What did I do?  I Google mapped it.  I found the directions, learned where to go, and figured out what time I needed to leave.  It was that simple.  Google helped me find exactly what I was looking for.  It was that easy.  We found exactly what we were looking for.

Many of us are looking for answers.  If we hold to a particular opinion, we'll Google for answers and ways to support our pre-existing opinions.  Perhaps we think homosexuality is a sin; we'll look to Google for particular Bible verses that say it's an "abomination."  Perhaps we think homosexuality isn't a sin; then we'll look to Google for verses that talk about God's love and that Jesus came to die for our sins.  Whatever you look for, that you will find.

But this quote leaves us with an unresolved tension.  Because we can look for answers that support our pre-existing opinions, is one opinion more true than another?  Does truth exist?  Does our attempt in looking for answers subconsciously signify that we ultimately believe in truth?  And these leading questions provoke more questions about the source of truth:

   -Is truth found in God (and if it does, what does that mean)?
   -Is truth found in humanity's ability to rationalize?
   -Is truth found in the Bible?
   -Is truth found in Google (perhaps it isn't this easy)?


Where do we look for sources of truth?

If we believe in truth, we must continue to think about our sources.  Does truth come from what the culture around us says?  Does truth come from the Word of God?  Does truth come from what we feel?  And how far are we willing to go with these?  How do we decide what parts are true and what parts aren't?  If we trust our own logic to pick and choose, aren't we merely using our own mind as the source of truth?


"Whatever you look for, that you will find," but step lightly.


And to bring it full circle, I've learned something.  I've learned that there is no redemptive value in debating a faceless Facebook-er over a topic like homosexuality.  I've learned that next time, I shouldn't be so quick to bite.  I've learned to be slow to speak.  I've learned not to jump into an argumentative abyss of emotion without a face-to-face interaction.  I've learned (perhaps a little better than before) not to give others an opportunity to categorize me as a hateful Christian.  I've learned that my best Facebook argument probably isn't going to change anyone's mind.  I've learned that love is the farthest thing from my mind when I'm debating on Facebook.


The hook left a scar and the scar lasts a while.


I bit and I was wrong.  The scar shows me that perhaps there is a better way to communicate.  The Bible reveals what God identifies as sin and what God identifies as righteousness.  The Bible will remain my source of truth.  Yes, what you look for, that you will find, but I'm going to look into the words that are inspired by God.

May the Lord grant me grace to move on.
May the Lord show me better ways to love.