A masterpiece, that is what you are
A reflection by Tonny Katara a young christian from Uganda
I was born in a religious family just like many others here in Uganda. I was raised up with values to differentiate good and bad instead of the Truth which is by the word and with that mindset from where I grew up, was held up in a box of thinking God can only love me if I do good. That good act or traits were detected and determined by the people around me in a way they affected them right. For example, it is meant to our community that growing ‘dreadlocks’ is a bad moral but in an actual sense, it’s not. It just favors their image and would bring up worries that people would question their parenthood because it was and somehow still taken wrong by the community. So that might give someone a glimpse of how much such communities are conservative, and mind closed about some topics.
It looks as if the only thing that matters is just what makes them feel good about themselves. Something different, diverse, or uncomfortable had /has no place. The Bible was used to explain their intolerance. For instance that defensive behavior was supported by the passage in the old testament where the way of life was based on the law that was given to Moses which man run by and when one was broken then u had just broken all the 10 commandments with no remorse. But then that was the old testament we’re now living in the new testament, times where all those laws were summed into one law which is love. Many of our kind are being judged by those laws by the people who still have the old testament mindset, forgetting that we do now live in the new testament kind of life, a life of salvation that is run not by law but love and by love I mean the agape kind of love. With this love, it’s said you shall overcome anything.
Unfortunately, we still live in a world where gay men are being persecuted for who they are and have called us worse names that even are worse than rapists, adulterers, or murders. I can only say to anyone who believes in love and have faith. Being gay should never make your heart insensitive neither the critics, hatred you encounter should not discourage you. No matter how hated, disgraced, by your community, always spread love because love overcomes all.
God is love! He loves you, gay or not. You are a masterpiece specifically made by him and he knew you before you were made in your mother’s womb, so he has given you purpose. Don’t let any person with a law kind of mindset, ignorant about the word of God and the world its self, with a lot of insecurities, let you down or make you feel less of yourself because you are a child of God and he will love you as He did before now and forever
