{mosimage}Lately, all across Canada, there has been a lot of debate about the same-sex marriage issue. Recently many of us attended rallies across the country to show our opposition to the proposed changes in legislation coming from the courts and our places of government. The arguments on both sides have at times been heated. As I've listened and watched I have cringed at some of the invective that has been increasing and I pray that we Christians will remember that Jesus, above all, was a minister of grace.

A friend once told me about being hired by the government to study the bears in a certain area. He and another man set up a camp in the midst of known bear territory and began the work. They had been watching a family of bears for some time, recording their movements and eating habits. One morning they were observing a large male fishing in a river. They recorded their data and slowly backed away. When they thought they were a safe distance they stood up and turned toward their camp. My friend had his head down, fiddling with his camera case when suddenly he heard his co-worker call his name in a rather urgent tone. There, only a few feet away, was a large female. Her two cubs were romping a few paces away, between the men and the mother. The female had not seen them yet and they managed to back away quickly before she did. My friend said it took them a while before they stopped shaking. They new there was one primary rule in their work ? a rule they could not break ? "Don't mess with Mama." Mother bears are notoriously protective. Their first instinct is to protect their young. Those two men knew they had escaped a potentially deadly situation.