The line

I've been trying to find the line of late.  The place where I can say, this is where I stand on an issue.  It's hazy, it's gray, it's confusing.  I've been watching from the sidelines as a friend defends her beliefs and her right to practice them the way she sees fit in her own home.  Not only that, but limiting how others practice their beliefs when they come to visit her.  So, where does the sanctity of my own home become paramount, overshadowing my ability to be a gracious and understanding hostess to friends?  Should it be?  Should I force others to conform to my belief system, just because they happen to be in my house?  If not to conform, to respect?  And what does that look like? 

I'm being vague on purpose, because it doesn't matter what the issue at hand is.  Lifestyle choice, religious beliefs, food, sex, violence, language, dress...they all carry different weight in my mind, but in honoring a guest in my home and that guest honoring me, they are all the same.  For me, it comes down to how we respect one another.  And with all that aside, do I feel that my children will somehow be harmed by welcoming this guest into my home?  It's a heavy thing.  It divides.  It creates silent barriers that friends are unwilling or unable to cross.  Most of all, it makes me very sad.  I don't have an answer, just ponderings.  I hope that a middle ground where both parties can come together without feeling compromised exists, but are we willing to do the work to get there?  I hope so.