Taking America's Inventory

"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Having quoted that directly from America's own Declaration of Independence, allow me to say that I'm fairly certain that marriage can be considered a "pursuit of happiness" and that it is, therefore, a God-given right to all Americans. I am not the least bit surprised that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage this week. It is now the Law of the Land...and all of the Constitution-pounders will have to accept that which the Bible-pounders can't/won't.

Our country came into being almost 239 years ago, yet it has taken us THIS long to live out the message in the Declaration. Consider this: at one time, black folks were white folks' property; blacks were given the right to vote MANY years before women were; wives could not establish credit in their own names; women were not afforded rights over their own bodies nor given equal status with men in the workplace; interracial marriages were forbidden by law; schools and whole communities were racially segregated; and homosexuals were not allowed to marry other homosexuals. All of that has changed--much of it in my lifetime--but it took political battles to make the changes happen...and most of those changes came by Supreme Court decree.

If you are of the LGBT group currently suffering from the nasty rhetoric of the people who feel that they somehow lost something after the Supreme Court decision allowing same-sex marriage, take heart. It will pass. You are a pioneer! Some day, you will be telling your children about "back in the day when people weren't allowed to marry the ones they loved"...and smile. If you live a good and righteous life, you have nothing to defend to anyone!

Yesterday, I could just feel the Judge of the Universe saying, as the Supreme Court did when the gavel came down: "It is so ruled."

I love that!