Lessons from Lesbians

I don’t really know any lesbians, to be honest, they don’t appear very often in my circle of close friends. I was asked out by girl in my grade 12 year once but that is about it. I have nothing against them, I love on them like I would anyone else but I just don’t find them in my tight-knit group of acquaintances. I don’t have any insight into the gay world and to tell the truth I have never really dealt with anything of the sort. But one lesbian has left a profound impact on me. I was watching the academy awards the other week and Ellen Degeneres was hosting. I like her, I think that she is hilarious. I think that she is one of those Hollywood types that I would actually like to meet. After the awards show Barbara Walters’ Oscar special was on and I had a few minutes to spare before I flew out the door to work. She was interviewing Degeneres in her Hollywood mansion, Walters went on about Ellen’s TV debut on some late night talk show in the 80’s, she showed a clip of Ellen’s monologue in which she has a hypothetical conversation with God. After the clip was done, Walters asked what Ellen would say to God if she could have a conversation right now. Without pause or reservation Degeneres replied with a gracious “Thank you.” That was it, just those two simple words. She just blurted out “Thank you”, not “Thanks, but my teenage years were tough” or “Thanks for everything after you put me through the ringer”. This took me by surprise. Here is a lesbian, someone that we Christians would snub and look down on, expressing gratitude to a God that we just sit around that complain to. That really shocked me, Ellen has walked a lonely road, sexual abuse as a child, a career is the toilet, being dropped by networks and agents because of her lifestyle choices and public humiliation. And all she can say is “Thank you”, give me a break. How come I can’t do that? I have never been publicly humiliated, rejected and led to believe that my ideas are wrong and that I should be punished for that. Unbelievable. If I were to sit down with God, probably the first thing to come out of my mouth would be “Where the hell have you been?”, or “Why do you make this life so damn hard?”. The first words out my mouth would definitely not be an expression of gratitude. But then again, maybe Ellen has learned a lesson that I haven’t. Maybe she has learned that everyday is a gift from God and all that she has is all that she needs. Maybe I’m just a pilgrim that hasn’t made it yet, I’m still on the journey. Maybe I still haven’t given up the fight and refuse to meet God at His word, that he is mighty and just and won’t leave me or forsake me. Whatever it is, thank you Ellen Degeneres. You have truly humbled me. You have taught me how rich I really am. Thank you…