Susan, I am a Christian, and as such I want to share a verse of Scripture with you that I'm sure you know as a church-goer, and with everyone else out there reading this. I hope that your story can help to be a good illustration of this point for everyone-when I saw how they first booed you and laughed at up there on that stage, this verse automatically popped into my mind:
John 13:34 (New International Version)
34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
I hope that everyone out there can get something from this verse-I want to point out how Jesus said that we must love one another as He has loved us. Another quick verse illustrates how great His love is for us, and that's the standard by which we should love one another.
16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
By "lay down your life", it does not necessarily mean physically laying down your life, it means putting others ahead of self, and living for Christ, who did indeed lay down His life for us. It' was God's great act of love to the whole world-sacrificing His Son for us. 2 more verses illustrate this.
John 3:16 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
THAT'S the kind of love we need to have for one another-the same unconditional kind of Love that God showed for us when we didn't deserve it, and most importantly THAT WE RECEIVE WHEN WE ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST INTO OUR HEARTS AS OUR PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOUR-THAT'S WHAT THE SECOND PART OF JOHN 3:16 MEANS-GOD OFFERS THE GIFT OF HIS LOVE, IT"S UP TO US TO ACCEPT IT OR REJECT IT. HE WANTS US TO ACCEPT IT SO THAT WE CAN LIVE WITH HIM FOREVER. HE LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE SACRIFICED HIS SON SO THAT HE COULD OFFER US THIS GIFT. IT WAS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. THAT'S what Jesus COMMANDED us to show one another-UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
As I said above, I sincerely hope that your story will serve as a reminder of that, of how God wants us to love one another, and most importantly how we can receive the Great Gift of His Unconditional Love for us. I'll end with one more verse to sum this whole thing up.
2 Peter 3:9 (King James Version)
9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
That's why God offers the Gift-He doesn't want us to perish. May your story help lead people to Him so that they don't
God Bless, Susan