Observation: It's much easier for Saul to pursue and imprison Christians before he actually meets Jesus. When that happens, everything has to change.
Application: I heard a fascinating story on "This American Life" last year. After Proposition 8 passed in California (banning same-gender marriage) a group of canvassers went door to door to engage in real, heart-felt conversations with neighborhood residents about their views on same-gender relationships. Here's the kicker: the canvassers themselves were gay, and opened up a bit about their own stories with residents. What they found was that this had a lasting, demonstrable effect on people's viewpoints in a way that marketing or other impersonal efforts did not. Actually meeting and talking to an LGBTQ person made a difference.
I realize Christians continue to be deeply divided on this issue. My hope is that we can find ways to love one another, as well as our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. But the lesson of Saul is clear: meeting the "other" face to face is transformational. In these divided times, there is no substitute for asking the question "Who are you, Lord?" and realizing it may well be someone we least expect.
Prayer: Lord, show us your face. Strike us blind, if need be, that in time, we may truly see you in those we fail to understand. Amen.
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