Column: Frustration and Cheer

Hi friends! I'm at it again with another column that ran in yesterday's (Sunday) paper. This one stemmed from everything that was going on in the world & in a sense, my need to vent or explain my feelings on all of it. Since its publication, I have received several kind words on this column for which I am very thankful. I do hope you read it, enjoy it and join me in remembering that at the end of the day--in spite of all the bad news and "opposition"--we can look ahead to something much better.

Frustration and Cheer
By Belinda Serrano

If you've read some of my previous columns, you know my stand on moral issues. The majority of people would call them "conservative", but I would prefer that they were called "Biblical".

So then, you would understand my frustration last Friday when Good Morning America brought coverage to a young man who was trying to get into the NFL. When hundreds of young men are vying for a spot on a national football team, why was this guy so important? Because he openly professed his homosexuality; if he was picked, he'd be the first openly-gay man in football.

But fast forward to Monday afternoon/Tuesday morning, when the Twittersphere, online blogs and the world wide web--in general, was all abuzz over Jason Collins. He would now have the title of being the first openly-gay athlete in all four American professional sports. Good Morning America once again pounced on this opportunity and scored the first interview with him.

Fellow athletes were proud of him. The media heralded him. And even President Obama himself rang up Collins and praised his "bravery".

So based on my beliefs, you could understand my frustration, disappointment, etc. The Bible tells me on numerous occasions that homosexuality is one of several sins, and God doesn't approve sin.

If we look back, another young athlete made a profession about how he lives his life. And how did athletes and the media respond?

They told Tim Tebow to basically shut up--they didn't want to hear about how he was saving himself for marriage and strived to live a Christian lifestyle.

But as the Jason Collins story was making waves, another tied-in story came across. But for all the reaction this story was getting, the press was negative.

ESPN analysist Chris Broussard took a stand when discussing Jason Collins' announcement. He said that homosexuality, among other sins, was an "open rebellion to God" according to the Bible. And for Christ-followers like me, we were ecstatic that someone was willing to proclaim the Bible.

But for those who deny God and His word, it was hate speech, disrespectful. It always frustrates me that for a movement that urges everyone to be "tolerant", anyone who acknowledges God and the Bible is considered a homophobe, old-fashioned, and against equality.

And on the same note, may I point out that those of us who truly strive to follow Christ do NOT, in any way, support those from Westboro. That "church" uses the Bible and God in the most ugly, twisted and hateful way--we are not all like that, so please do not throw us all into one big group.

So on Wednesday, when fellow Christians were still overjoyed over Broussard's statements, my Facebook feed showed a story that had been shared at least four times. Upon reading it, I learned that the Pentagon is considering a court martial for soldiers who share and express their Christian faith.

The man pushing for this action is appropriately described as "anti-Christian". He even went so far as to compare the idea of witnessing Christ to others as "spiritual rape"--a most horrendous comparison.

What a shame it would be for our soldiers--the men and women defending our freedom--to not be allowed to share what they believe. A petition from the Family Research Council was formed as a result, and when I signed it yesterday urging Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to go against this notion, already 60,000+ signatures had been added.

So yes, the media reports that are overwhelming the World Wide Web...they bug me, frustrate me, sadden me. It's disheartening, and even makes me wonder why I enjoy staying up to date on current events through the tweets and news shows.

But at the same time, all of this should come to no surprise to me. We live in a day where an equality group calls for the removal of a Bible-believing pastor from the National Day of Prayer activities, where people want to throw the phrase "under God" under a bus, and where a federal agency allows children (to me, a fifteen year old is still a child) to consider morning-after pills.

So at the end of the day, I just have to cling closer to what God says in His word--the commandments, the promises and His self-sacrificing love for me, and you. Maybe, instead of being disheartened, I should be delightful.

It's like Jesus said in John 16:33, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."