I was not the only one wondering who thought up that strange juxtaposition.
Imagine the scene as our family approached the pro-life booth to take our shift. My husband is carrying a huge cooler and a foldable playpen. (He is a big man, and looks every bit like a U.S. Marine, because he is one.)
I am visibly pregnant, with another infant in the backpack, pushing a stroller with two preschoolers. Try as they might, the good people in the other booth could only stare in utter amazement that Neanderthals like us still exist. The previous pro-life shift was effusive in their praise of our “madness,” and left us with “God bless you”s.
Once we got settled, the older kids dragged dad off to kiddyland and the barns, while baby PJ and I kept watch at the booth. At first, the bothers next door and I assiduously avoided looking at one another. We had two sets of diametrically opposed viewpoints on the meaning of sexuality. There was no room for common ground, or so I thought.
I busied myself watching parents teach their children about baby development using the fetal models at the front of the booth. Meanwhile, several openly gay couples approached the next booth, displaying public affection that I deem inappropriate in heterosexual couples, let alone…. I was glad my eldest child was not there to ask questions.
My discomfort eventually gave way to an awareness that Jesus himself wanted to talk to me. “Do you suppose that I love them less?” he asked me in my heart.
Ashamed, I knew the answer was that He loves us all more than we can imagine. If I truly believe that God loves every person He creates, then I had better share my portion of His love with every one of His creatures.
“But let’s be discerning here,” I retaliated mentally. “Love does not mean unmitigated approval of every lifestyle choice that comes down the path.” I was not at the pro-life booth specifically to discuss homosexuality. Struggling in my mind and heart, I resolved to satisfy Jesus by working my booth with compassion and care.
My responses to questions began to center on the mercy of God, instead of ideological polemics. I reminded one man who was condemning the abortionists that we have to pray for them, too. The queen of the fair stopped by with a few princesses, and we discussed the lack of concrete support given to young women in crisis pregnancies.
I glanced at the people in the booth next door, and one smiled at me. I smiled back. Part of me was satisfied with that. “There you go, Jesus. I was compassionate,” I thought sanctimoniously.
Little did I know that PJ, my budding politician, would up the ante. He was screaming to escape the playpen prison. I put him on the ground, and he immediately headed for the next booth. I used the opportunity to survey their literature. I saw “Bisexuality,” “Supportive Parenting of the Gay Couple,” and “Support Groups for Parents of Gays and Lesbians.”
“Hoo, boy,” said my fundamentalist brain, “I bet there is not one reference to Rm 1:27 in there.” “Love them anyway,” chastened Jesus again.
Safely back in our booth, PJ began babbling away. An older woman began playing peekaboo with him from the next booth. He was thrilled and laughed for her. She finally walked over and said, “He’s so adorable, I can’t resist him!” She held out her arms, and PJ crawled right over to her.
It dawned on me in that moment that she probably once had a baby like PJ and was now in the difficult position of being the mother of a homosexual. It could just as easily happen to me … and I would still love my child.
Chances are highly unlikely that I will hand out literature on bisexuality should one of my children choose a homosexual lifestyle.
However, I am reminded that my children belong to God, not to me. Their development is certainly dependent upon my nurture. Eventually, I will have to stand by and watch them make mistakes, just like I have made mistakes.
The knowledge of God’s infinite mercy and forgiveness must be at the forefront of my motherhood. If I look for ways to remind my children that we belong to a loving God, they will find His love when they most need it. And, for that matter, such love doesn’t hurt the pro-life cause.
Jesus said, “Love one another, as I have loved you.” Yes, loving includes truth, and we cannot shy away from the fact that the Church has consistently taught that homosexual acts are sins. But to love the sinner with reckless abandon is not only our duty, it is our privilege. While I found the juxtaposition of booths strange, I have a feeling God did not find it strange at all.
