Iiwaa
I had a really difficult childhood, and the comfort of knowing I was loved and having a place to go with my grief meant everything to me
It brought such comfort to read about Christ who had a complex familial life and indigenous cultural background, who came from nothing, and who was well acquainted with suffering. My faith also made me aware of our spiritual reality from an early age; I can attribute the beautiful relationship I have with Creator today to the formation of my faith as a child.
Pronouns: she/hers
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There was a time when I believed I was giving up my faith to embrace my queer identity. As an adult, I spent seven years as part of a non-affirming church body while also developing as a national worship leader as part of my college campus ministry. That was before I realized I was a queer person.
I wondered when God’s love for me would run out. If I accept the truth, if I say it out loud, if I live my life as a queer person: at what point does God’s love for me end, and when is my eternity with Them forfeited? It felt like I was throwing away my community, my future, and my place in Heaven. Everything I had grown up hearing said that God looked at queerness as a sin. When I first decided to live my truth as a 2Spirit person, it was without any belief that God’s love was still for me.
One day, I heard a sermon from The Commons, and it changed everything for me. Their declaration as an affirming church changed my despair into a renewed calling for ministry and a renewed sense of Creator’s vast, unconditional love for me. The Commons became my new church home, and I’m now on staff with The Commons as their music director – a job I’ve dreamed about since I was a child!
My hope for our queer youth is that they would never doubt Creator’s immense love for them or the absolute necessity or power of their voices. Their lens on the scriptures and the beautiful manifestations of Christ-like love that come from their unique intersections are pricelessly valuable.
Photo of Iiwaa
