One of the callers believed that we were just "whiners" and we needed to just shut up and get a life. There were other callers who were very supportive and articulated how important it is to talk about these issues because silence only perpetuates the problems.

           Granted, I've been speaking out for the last 15 years and have experienced the name calling, the distain from other people, the hell, fire and damnation, etc. One woman called and told us that her 10 year old son had just revealed to her that he thinks he's gay. I could hear the concern in her voice, especially after hearing the first callers express their disgust for our community. She told us she was afraid for her son and didn't want him to have to go through thoughts of suicide and/or self-hatred that other GLBTQ children had gone through. My colleague said, "Keep telling him you love him."

           Despite developing thick skin and the ability to allow those words of hate to roll off my back, most of the time, I kept hearing the concern in this woman's voice as I thought back to the program. I would hear her voice and the voice of the person who thought it was "sick." As these words swirled around in my head, I couldn't help but wonder how much the word "sick" had probably torn through the heart of some of the listeners. If that word continued to swirl in my head, I have no doubt that it blazed a path of hurt in some. I think that's why Proverbs 4:23 tells us: "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." (NIV)

           Speaking of guarding our hearts. I just read a story about an Israeli woman who was wounded during a Hezbollah rocket attack. She was apparently hit by shrapnel from the rocket, but she had something guarding her heart. The doctor treating her said, "She was saved from death." If it hadn't been that her heart was guarded, the shrapnel would have pierced her heart. "Luckily" for this 24 year old, she had done something that many American women have done. She was saved by her breast implants. According to the report, the shrapnel became embedded in the silicone implants and stopped the explosive fragments just inches from her heart. Interesting isn't it?

           Although I'm not advocating breast implants for women, what I am advocating is that we make sure we guard our hearts. If we know young people or even people who are older who have tender hearts, I think we have an obligation to protect their hearts as well. We do this by refraining from name calling, putting down, throwing out, and cussing out people who are sensitive. Actually, let me rephrase that. I think we have an obligation to refrain from doing any of these things to anyone. We need to be the peace makers and the peace keepers. Let the wellsprings of life overflow with peace and love and in turn, they will water our hearts with the same.