Three Glorious Things You Don’t Know About France
I write this from a tiny hotel room in Paris, just a stone’s throw from the Bastille—the site and symbol of the French Revolution. A golden figure dedicated to ‘human glory’ presides over the Bastille; I marvel at how Jesus alone is making France glorious.
First glorious fact. Did you know that when France legalized ‘gay marriage’ in June of 2013, her people initiated the biggest series of demonstrations for real marriage that our world has ever seen? 350,000 persons peacefully gathered in Paris under the banner ‘Demonstration for All’ in January of 2013, then again in May of that year and twice in 2014.
Carrying signs which read like the titles of Living Waters’ Chapters—for example, ‘Difference is the key to existence’–many French persons realized from their Catholic heritage that you cannot remove gender complementarity from marriage without imperiling everyone in the culture, including generations-to-come. So they demonstrated for marriage on behalf of all citizens, and included in their protest the corresponding legal drive in France for creating ‘gay’ families through adoption and in-vitro fertilization, as well as new initiatives for introducing ‘gay’ education in French primary schools.
France championed marriage gloriously; America, take note. Perhaps we can take our cues from France as the Supreme Court decides how we shall define marriage next month.
Second glorious fact. Did you know that France has the strongest expression of Living Waters in the world? Over the last twenty years, amazing leaders (bless you Werner and Charlotte) have rallied Christians of all stripes in their local churches to seek Jesus as the One who restores His image in us, humanity as male and female.
This weekend, teams of men and women, Protestant and Catholic, homosexual and heterosexual strugglers gathered from around France to celebrate 20 years of ‘Torrents de Vie’ (French Living Waters). We rejoiced together in the merciful freedom we find as we open our wounds to the Crucified, and the gifts He gives through His members. Living Waters has helped France become glorious.
Third glorious fact, and the least important to all but me: my colleagues in France are among my best. It is rare to love as deeply as I do the persons with whom I collaborate there. Thoughtful, independent, creative, and passionately devoted to Jesus and His Church, these saints reside in my heart. We will cheer one another on to glory.
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