Who are You?

Do you remember the story of the ugly duckling? The little duckling was always d
ifferent than all of his sisters and brothers. He hatched later than everybody e
lse, he was a little bit bigger, a different color, and had a different bill. Th
e poor little guy couldn't figure out why he was so "ugly" compared to the other
ducklings. Of course it didn't help that his own mother thought he was ugly as
well. All of the farm birds didn't want him around and he ended up running tryin
g to find himself in the wilderness. He was almost shot by hunters, and almost r
oasted for an old lady's supper. He was wandering around, LOST! He felt like he
didn't belong. It wasn't until an entire year later that the duckling grew up to
realize that he wasn't a duck at all. He was a beautiful swan. Once he realized
who he was, he was able to finally fit in and find what he had been missing all
along, a family.
That story reminds me of our course of travel sometimes in life, especially as m
embers of the LGBT community. As gays and lesbians in the church we are often vi
ewed as the "ugly" ducklings. We are not accepted and many of us leave and wande
r in the wilderness, LOST! If only we knew who we truly were in the sight of God
. If only we could see ourselves the way God sees us.
We are not outcasts, the bible says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made"
. We are part of the "whosoever" that is mentioned in the scriptures. John 3:16
says, "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoso
ever, believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life". That means YOU
! Your belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God has automatically put you in line
for a blessing. If you believe you have been given the gift of eternal life.
God's gift to us is free, no man can earn it, no money can buy it! There's an ol
d saying that goes, "because He died for me, I will live for Him". God has calle
d His people to live Holy, because He is Holy! There is a common misconception t
hat only heterosexuals can live holy lives. Holiness is not determined by sexual
orientation! So how do you live holy?....First, you have to find your place in
the kingdom of God.
Just like the young duckling we have to realize that we are beautiful in the sig
ht of God. The young swan had tried for too long to fit in as a duck and never
realized his true purpose. Do you know that you have a higher purpose in God? Yo
u need to know that your relationships are honored and ordained by God. You have
promises made by God concerning your future. You have gifts given by the Spirit
of God that He is waiting for you to use in order to worship Him. You are worth
y of His love. You are worthy of His forgiveness! There is a place prepared for
YOU in heaven! There is a seat at the table of God for YOU! The door is wide ope
n for you to enter, just the way you are!
Just like the swan in the story at the end he found others that were just like h
im. That was the missing link. They were able to teach him how to be a swan. He
had grown up his entire life believing he was ugly based on the duck's point of
view. That's what Agape Empowerment Ministries is for Savannah, GA. We are a min
istry of likeminded individuals that believe that ALL people are welcome at the
table of God. We invite you to come and experience worship like never before. Ex
perience a church family that will embrace ALL of you, no matter who you are, wh
at you wear, or what you look like. At Agape Empowerment Ministries we believe,
God's love is for everyone!
I look forward to meeting you there! God bless!
Pastor Candace E. Hardnett