Life Imitating Art: My Final Word

​Yesterday I wrote about my response to the passage of the Traditional Plan in the United Methodist Church, a plan that forbids the ordination of and the performance of marriage ceremonies for LGBTQ people.
 
This morning I kept thinking about how my feelings are eerily similar to the feelings Maggie experiences in Saint Maggie. I don’t remember when I wrote the scenes posted below, but Saint Maggie was published in 2011. So they are at least 8 years old. Is it a case of life reflecting art, rather than art reflecting life? I have no idea. All I know is it feels really weird.
 
Maggie’s actual situation not the same as mine. She witnesses her church’s angry, vindictive response to their pastor, who has committed a crime. When her daughter, Frankie, reminds her of the power of forgiveness, Maggie forgives the pastor for the damage he has done to her. She doesn’t forget what he has done, mind you, rather she lets go of her own anger and bewilderment and begins to visit him in prison.
 
But, as if Maggie hasn’t been hurt enough, some members of her church criticize and ostracize her for reconciling with the pastor.
 
In the first scene, feeling hurt and unable to experience God’s presence, Maggie makes a painful decision. However, God peeks through in the second scene.
 
My prayer is this: May God peek through for all those who have been hurt by the denomination known as the United Methodist Church. May they know that there is hope.
 
This is my final word on the subject. I promise. I will return to regular blogging on Friday.