Since discovering your child is LGBTQ+, do you feel like you're caught in the middle?
You are not alone. We Christian parents are concerned about what our friends may say or think about our children or us when they see us loving our LGBTQ+ child.
If you consider yourself a conservative Christian, you may be worried that people in your life may suggest you should shun your child, that having a relationship with them signals you accept them or condone them being LGBTQ+. You may be worried that if you love your child, you are somehow turnning your back on God.
The minorities on the extremes in the LGBTQ+ conversation make the most noise and can be hateful and intimidating. The challenge is that Jesus doesn't desire any of us to be hateful; in fact, quite the opposite. He commands us to Love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourself and even our enemies… Being hateful is not Christ-like, and it certainly isn't appealing. Most of us simply want to breathe and find a path forward that offers hope for our family.
The secret sauce for not getting caught in this fray is to remember...
We Serve an Audience of One, Jesus.
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So, when you find yourself concerned about what your pastor, your family members, neighbors, church friends, co-workers, and others may think, the only one you need to concern yourself with is Jesus. If you're unsure how Jesus responds to the marginalized, spend some time in the New Testament and rediscover that Jesus didn't walk around pointing fingers condemning people but instead had open arms, even though he was the only one who had the right to condemn.
If you would like to have more discussion on this, we would be delighted to have you join one of our many virtual Embracing the Journey Care Groups for parents with LGBTQ+ loved ones. Remember, at the end of the day; it's all about the "Audience of One."
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