Savior, May I Love My Brother

Lord, I Would Follow Thee.

Taken from the LDS hymnal.

"Savior, may I learn to love thee,

Walk the path that thou hast shown,

Pause to help and lift another,

Finding strength beyond my own.

Savior may I learn to love thee--

Lord, I would follow thee,

Who am I to judge another

When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden

Sorrow that the eye can't see.

Who am I to judge another?
Lord, I would follow thee.

I would be my brother's keeper;

I would learn the healer's art.

To the wounded and the weary

I would show a gentle heart.

I would be my brother's keeper--

Lord, I would follow thee.

Savior, may I love my brother

As I know thou lovest me,

Find in thee my strength, my beacon,

For thy servant I would be.

Savior, may I love my brother--

Lord, I would follow thee."

This has been one of my favorite hymns for a while now. I love the tune, and I love the words even more. This is also the hymn that has been running through my head almost constantly ever since hearing the news of the new policy about LGBTQ Mormon and their children. This hymn has become the prayer of my heart.

I urge my sisters and brothers to absorb these words, In all that you do, work on loving others as a way of expressing your love for God. Regardless of how you personally feel about marriage equality, realize that there are many who are in a great deal of pain right now, that there are many of our sisters and brothers who are walking around with "sorrow that the eye can't see", and with sorrow that can be seen, and just LOVE them. Don't try to explain why they shouldn't be hurting, don't question their testimony or faith or try to call them to repentance, don't try to defend the policy that is hurting them so deeply. Practice your faith by mourning with those who mourn and by loving practically. You see, it's easy to say you love someone, but those words mean nothing unless they are accompanied by action that backs the words up.

"Savior, may I love my brother as I know thou lovest me, find in thee my strength, my beacon, for thy servant I would be. Savior, may I love my brother-- Lord, I would follow thee."

A Love Letter to my Sisters and Brothers

If you are LGBTQ, or someone who is in any other way affected/hurt by the hateful policy from the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this love letter is for you.

To my dear sisters and brothers,
I love you.
I. Love. You.
I LOVE you.
I love YOU.
I LOVE YOU.
I love you, I see you, I support you, and I stand with you. You matter to me, and to my family, and to many of my friends. You have infinite value and worth. You are the only one of you there is. You are a unique and beautiful creation, crafted with the utmost love and care by the God of this world, this universe, this galaxy, of all that exists, has ever existed, and will ever exist anywhere. You are amazing and wonderful.

I am so sorry for the pain that has been given you by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know there's been plenty of it, and the latest wrong that has been done to you is a doozy. I won't try to explain it, or justify it, or make it sound pretty, or rationalize why it's really actually a good thing. You have plenty of that coming from the Church itself, from certain blogs that are popular among certain more orthodox segments of the membership, and from far too many other members directly. I won't try to make it more palatable, because I don't think I'm capable of the mental gymnastics, self-delusion, and level of burying-my-head-in-the-sand that is required to believe that bovine excrement covered in vomit is an acceptable dish to serve at dinner.

What I will do is promise you this. I will support you. I will stand with you. I mourn with you. When you rejoice, I will rejoice with you. Whether you need me to stand in front of, beside, or behind you, I will stand wherever you need me to. I will defend you and your rights. I will defend your worth. I will defend beyond eternity the fact that you are a child of God, created in God's image, deserving to be treated like a human being, deserving to be treated equal to the Prophet. I will speak up about how wrong this is. I will remind those who would seek to drive you away and denigrate your worth that Jesus says they're wrong. I will remind YOU that I love you and that God loves you and that other people love you. I will not back down from my defense of you, my sisters and brothers. I will walk with you, wherever that path takes you. I will encourage you to remain true to yourself and to do what is best for YOU, not for anyone else, because you don't we the world or the Church or me or anyone anything. And if you don't want or need me or my support, that's 100% okay. But if you need me, I am here, and I am here for you.

I love you. I want you as my family, because family is what we are. I see you. I value you. I cherish your presence in this world. You matter to me, always and forever. I support you. And i know that I keep saying I love you, and it might sound repetitive, but I don't think I can say it enough.

You have my love. You have me. You have my support. You are not alone. Jesus said to love my neighbor, so that is what I am doing, and YOU are my neighbor. I love you.

With all my love,
Esther

Image says: "If you're struggling after learning about the new LDS Church policy on children of LGBTQ couples and you need to talk to someone, please reach out.

Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

Trevor Project: (866) 488-7836

Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860

Also, you can message me anytime.

YOU ARE LOVED.
YOU ARE WANTED."

Graphics courtesy of Jerilyn Hassell Pool.