Loving the sinner but not the sin

I realize it has been over a year since I have written, I have not felt the urge until now.  I have been pondering on the great prophet Mormon, and his son Moroni.  For those unaware of who these two great men were, they are the last prophets of the Book of Mormon another testament of Jesus Christ.  They compiled everything together and sealed it up for our day, to be found by the boy Joseph in the year 1820.  The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ to be used hand in hand with the Bible, but it accounts for the people here in the Americas, the ancestors of the Native Americans. Mormon in his 16th year was asked by his people, who by this time were not a righteous people, to lead them into battle.  It is amazing to me, that these people, although not righteous could still feel the strength and love of Mormon a God-fearing boy, not much older than the prophet Joseph Smith was when he saw God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.  At age 10, he was approached by Ammaron, the prophet at the time, and told where Ammaron would hide the records that had been kept for centuries by their people, and asked Mormon to get them when he was older, and finish the record.  At age 10, he was asked this.  At age 15 he was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus ( Mormon 1:15).  He was commanded not to preach anymore among his people at this young age because of the hardness of their hearts, yet he was to remain among them.  Not only did he remain among them he served them.  He took command of their armies, he prayed for them, when they sorrowed because of the blood and carnage among them he had hope that perhaps their hearts were turning and they would repent.  He never gave up hope on them.   Only when they lusted after blood, and boasted in their armies, did he refuse to lead them  (Mormon 3).  After a time though, he led them once more, when in his words "they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions".  Mormon and his son Moroni sorrowed for their people.  No anger, lack of forgiveness, or unfair judgements were cast on them, rather they sorrowed after them.  As an example Mormon cries, "And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried;  O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord!  O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!  Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen.  But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss".  His soul was rent with anguish.  Mormon and Moroni served their people until they and Mormon had all been killed.  Moroni wrote more in the records, in hopes that the Lamanites, in whom they had been fighting would someday be converted.  I write this because it is a beautiful example of loving someone, but not giving in to their sin.  They did serve and love their people, but not once did they give in to their ways.  Not once did they declare their ways to be right.  Saying all this I bring a modern example.  Truly there are many, but I choose this one because it is the one making headlines.  Homosexuality.  How do we deal with this.  Many years back, when the state I was living in first put forth the proclamation that marriage is between a man and a woman, the liberal background I was raised in caused me to protest this in my mind, but our prophet asked us to stand for it, and so I did.  Now years later I have come to understand the wisdom in it.  People cry out, we are being bigots, we are not being Christlike, we are the sinners.   They are wrong.  I will show you.  A person close to me was at the grocery store one day, and saw a woman downtrodden, and approached her.  Speaking with her it was easy to determine that she was in a same sex relationship, and she had a child.  Also speaking with her, this person determined she needed immediate help.  This friend of mine brought her into the grocery store, and bought a huge amount of groceries for her, and then gave her 100.  The person I speak of stands for the traditional marriage.  As Mormon of old refused to lead his people when they lusted after blood, but still served them and prayed for them, we must do the same.  I do not pretend to know what people with homosexual tendencies are going through.  I do not pretend to know whether they are born with it or not, but I do know all of us are born with weaknesses that either we can overcome with the help of Jesus Christ, or we can give into them, and live in misery.  I have had great weaknesses, that I could not overcome without divine help.  It took time, trust in my God, constant prayer, and his power to do it.  Yet of course I still have more to overcome and will not achieve perfection in this life.  But step by step and through the atonement of Jesus Christ I will someday make it.  It is ok to make mistakes we all do, it is not okay to let these mistakes define who we are, and give up, that will not bring us peace, or joy in the end.  We must be willing to do it his way.  I know a life of celibacy is lonely, many heterosexual people live it as well, but God, and Christ will give you peace and the strength to continue, and perhaps in this life he will change you in such a way, that celibacy will no longer be required.  I know he can, but I also know it is in his timetable.  The one thing he promises us, is Peace in this life, and Eternal Life in the world to come.  In him literally all things are possible.  Only by turning our lives completely over to him, can we truly feel of the love he has for us, and feel his divine power.  I have felt it, I know it is real.  In conclusion, I will always love all of my brothers and sisters, I will serve them as my friend did, but I will never try to redefine God's laws.  I will stand up for what is right, always.  I can be called a bigot, and many worse things I am sure, but I know in whom I trust, and I cannot waiver from that.