Today has been one of those long and
reflective days. There is so much going on in this head of mine that I don’t
even know where to begin, but I am going to start with two people you might
know: Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Kate and Leo are amazing actors. They
have worked on some absolutely phenomenal films, both separate and together. I
could list all of them, but there are just too many to even begin to list,
(The Aviator, Revolutionary Road, The Reader, Catch Me If You Can, Finding Neverland, etc.) but I think you all know where I am going with this: 1997. Kate and Leo
were cast together as love interests in the greatest movie of all time,
Titanic. They had some pretty palpable on screen chemistry and the entire
world expected them to become an item. The whole world was expecting them to
become lovers in real life, but they never did, and THIS is why I think that
they are amazing.
In a world where people were saying that
they needed to do something, be something, become something, they went against
all odds and beliefs and became just the best of friends. Kate and Leo truly
love one another and have spoken in interviews about the love that they have
for each other, but it is not romantic love. They love one another in a way
that not many people understand or even contemplate experiencing. They have
been best friends for over 18 years. They have supported one another, helped
one another, and been there for one another. Leo even walked her down the aisle
at one of her weddings. If you don’t believe how much they love one another,
just watch Kate’s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes for “RevolutionaryRoad” followed by Leo’s message to her on Oprah the next day, their cute reaction to running into each other the Oscars last night, and then their
reactions for one another as they each won awards this current award season. They
love one another in a way that is absolutely beautiful.
Why am I focusing on this right now? The
world expects me to express my love one way. The world tells me that I need to
find a man to be with, to be true to myself, and to leave religion because I
won’t be accepted. Some people in the church have the idea that I can’t be gay
and a member of the church. Some people say that there are no gay members of
the church, or that it is a sin to experience same-sex attraction. Some people
think that I am inherently a sinner or look at any relationship I have as
something bad and to be avoided. Some people tell me that I can’t express love,
but I don’t find that true. Love and sexual intimacy are totally different
things in my opinion. I can love someone and not be breaking the law of
chastity. The law of chastity is the same for me as it is for everyone else, I
just like to think that God trusts me enough to bless me with an extra dose of
love for men because He knows that I am strong enough to develop close
relationships with my guy friends that won’t cross a line, but will actually
help me to become the man that He wants and expects me to become. There is
nothing wrong with some good ol’ guy time. I can totally picture Jesus sitting with
me, putting his arm around me, holding me as I cry, walking hand in hand, and
loving me in an amazing and wonderful way.
“As I have loved you, love one another.”
Jesus commanded us to be as He is, and He is full of love. He went about loving
everyone that He came in contact with. He taught the truths, shared the gospel,
healed the sick, raised the dead, and performed so many miracles. I love my
Savior so much and am grateful for Him, for His atoning sacrifice, and for His
example for me. I am commanded to love. I have friends who I love dearly, and I
don’t see anything wrong with that. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me
just as I am. He loves me unconditionally. I have a testimony of The Family: A
Proclamation to the World and know that it is true and that the family is
central to God’s plan, and that I DO have a place in that plan. I may not have
my own family in this life, but I don’t think that God expects me to walk alone
through life. I don’t think that He expects me to live alone and lonely, sad
and bitter. I can’t shake the feeling that the people who are in my life are in
it for a reason, that the friends I have are the friends I have always had, we
just needed to find one another, and that the Lord has lead me to find them in
wonderful and mysterious ways.
There is a scripture that I have turned
to quite a few times today that has brought me comfort. Hebrews 13:1 says, “Let
brotherly love continue.” I love this scripture. I don’t think that God expects
me to never experience love. In fact I would bet that He wants me to experience
it more than anything, it just might be in the way that Kate and Leo experience
it, the love of true best friends.
This is just one of the things that has
been on my mind today, and I needed to express what I have been thinking. Thank
you Kate and Leo for being a great example to me of the fact that people can
love each other, be close to one another, express their love for one another,
and break the stereotypical molds of what people expect them to be. If they can
do it, why can’t I?
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