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Over the weekend, I came across a tweet that expressed its writer's willingness to embrace the contrasts of humanity so long as they offered genuine love in return. While both good and evil expect devotion from their respective followers, the tweet set me straight away from an unrelated judgment I'd made just a moment sooner. Disappointment with the lengths a "friend" once went to turn my attention into hurtful blame made molten rapids run through my veins for a split-second until I saw the Word in those 140 characters or less. That stranger's stream and seeing 

reminded me of the grandeur, strength and openness of the Lord's arms. 

The weekly music biography series, Unsung, featured disco-era artist Sylvester tonight. Pleasantly remembering traces of the "God-fearing, cross-dressing" openly gay man's high-energy and soulful music kept me tuned long enough to learn more about his early years. Like too many others, a despicable and tragic sexual abuse set the boy on a road that may have contributed to his orientation; choice of identity is another story. Male and female Loved ones with the courage to give less power to lies have confided in me with such experiences over the years and miles between us. By my common sense and their accounts, getting to know oneself through Life's formative periods is challenging enough without being compromised by figures of trust, respect and authority. In Sylvester's case, a clergy member was actually the human culprit.

As the looming spirit of evil would have it, countless young people with plans for fame or just survival fall prey to parents, bosses, mentors and even peers who deceptively groom the hopeful to believe that the greed, theft, drugs, betrayal, illicit sex and the like is the way to 'make it'. Unfortunately, some victims will then attempt to cover or deflect their plight by manipulating others from a place of depravity, fear or displaced anger; extending their detour into darkness. Not so and not fair. The Lord expects a mature enough mindset to know that our sins are not the fullness of us and act accordingly past them. A path without God's guiding Light and a shoulder of genuine understanding is a definition of "hell" that no innocent deserves.

On my own Way to balance within God's Will, the subtle differences between judgment and discernment are increasingly evident. The bi- or homosexuality I've never suggested or subscribed to deviates just as much from what I believe the Divine design to be as do the bouts I've had, for example, with procrastination or ever treating sex's capacity for exclusive healing, pleasure and procreation with my temple as anything less than Godly. Any team jersey and number of reasons we dress in from 00 up periodically requires our honest review, report and re-construction into beautiful. Our self-loathing or judgments of the unknown may be alot to swallow; bitter, too. A major, funded production isn't necessary, but it must be effective unto the improvement of our souls and their honor of our Creator; its markers, evident so as not to harm or hinder passersby. No star(let) or layperson, youth of reckoning or elder, man or woman is exempt. I don't know what else to share of this meditation as neither glorification nor undue judgment are mine. Because God sees the best in me despite the flaws being worked on, however, Love is.