There have been countless times that I've gotten the reaction "What? You're conservative? That's very unheard of in social workers!" And every single one of my responses have been, "Yeah. Those exist."

I'm not going to lie, having to set aside my personal beliefs and values for the sake of helping others is really hard. While I may not be a licensed social worker yet, I have spent countless hours volunteering in social work settings. By being a social worker, you have to advocate for those that can't advocate for themselves. Social workers stand up for what's right. They step in and interfere when people are being wronged.

What does that have to do with being a Christian and being conservative? Well, let's get to know me a little more personally. I believe in God. I believe we have a certain standard that we must abide by according to His Word. In the Bible, it lays out clearly that homosexuality is a sin. I believe that is true. However, as a social worker, I am able to stand up and say that my faith in God and His Word is my own choice. We must understand that not everyone believes the same way as us. It's sad to think that, but it's true. We spend too much of our time trying to force people to see things our way instead of directing that in love. We should say what we need to in love, and then pray and leave the rest up to God. We don't have the power to save people, only the Lord does. So stop trying to. That means that if gay people want to get married, it's their choice. They should have that right as an American citizen. It's hard for me to say that because my relationship with God is everything; it's the most important thing to me. I know for a fact, however, that God isn't going to ask me on Judgement Day "Why did you treat gay people equally?"

You may be wondering why I think it's okay to say that gays should have the right to marry. I still believe homosexuality is a sin. Saying that everyone deserves the same rights as everyone else doesn't make me a hypocrite. I have my own sins that I should worry about first and foremost. So do you. As as social worker, it is my job to stand up for people who are gay and how they're treated unfairly by those that claim to be Christians. But I'll save that sermon for another day.

It amazes me how surprised people are when I tell them that I'm more conservative. I don't understand how that's such a surprising bit of information. Advocating for someone isn't the same thing as condoning their choices. For example, let's take a girl that wants to have an abortion. As a Christian, I am completely 100% against that. I would never condone it. As a conservative, I don't believe it should be anyone's right to murder an unborn child. It's not her body, it's the baby's body. As a social worker, however, I have to put my personal beliefs aside and offer help to the girl. That includes providing information to her about her options.

It's so difficult. I have prayed about my decision to become a social worker almost every single day since I've made the decision back when I was 12. God knows my heart, and I know that He's thrilled over me for taking a stand for bettering the lives of those put down by society. My gift, and my passion to help people have been given to me by God himself. There's not doubt about it. He wouldn't put me in a position to make such a hard decision if it wasn't the right thing to do.

So to everyone out there: Yes, I am a conservative, Christian social worker. Those do exist. And no, that doesn't make me a hypocrite.