When you share from the depths of your heart, and put it out there for the whole world to hear, you are bound to get some feedback. Between our church website, and the YouTube audio video that was created, the sharing of my story that I did at my church back on July 5th has been listened to 424 times. Pretty surprising considering it’s about an hour and a half long (smile).
Some of the feedback that I’ve gotten has been really amazing. It seems that listening to my story has helped some people in profound ways. God uses our stories. There are some, however, who have felt the need to tell me how wrong I am in my beliefs. I find that surprising since none of these people have asked me why or how I’ve come to what I believe…or even what I actually believe. They feel they are right and I am wrong.
I was having some trouble reconciling this in my spirit. It’s like my brain knew all the right things to tell myself, but once my heart was bruised by people’s opinions of me, it was hard for my heart to get the message. Through the amazing support of some moms in a private FB group, and a telephone conversation I had with John Pavlovitz last week, I’ve been able to pull myself out of the funk. John referred me to a post he did on the topic of defending your faith and it was helpful to me so I thought I’d share it here because it’s something that a lot of us go through on this journey:
John Pavlovitz – Stuff That Needs to Be Said
Again…my head knows what I should do, but my broken heart isn’t always on the same page. Part of this journey has been feeling the need to defend my beliefs. Really there is just one authority that I need to be concerned with when it comes to my beliefs…and that is God. He is the only one that has been intimately involved in this journey with me. Not even my husband Mike knows the depths of prayer and searching I did with God as I do not know the depths of his journey with God. When I share with people, I tell them I don’t expect them to believe the same way I do. I get it. They haven’t experienced it personally. I just wish that some would extend me the same grace.
Love matters…but how we love matters even more.
Love Matters 
…Good thing you are on God’s side and He knows your heart!
You got to love an Army that shoots its own wounded!!!!!
Unfortunately, they think they are being loving by telling me I’m wrong.
I had been sharing with my strong fervent Conservative Christian parents about our son (their grandson) and what are lives are like. Once they heard your testimony there were certain things you said that were like an “ah-ha” and had some type of empathy for us and for other Christian parents with gay children. They looked at us a little differently (in a more supportive way) because they heard a mom and a family struggling and yet being stronger for themselves, their son, the gay community and families like ours.
I even had my son listen to you and he shared with me certain things he could identify with your son. It gave him more of an opportunity to say some things to us that he could not do before.
As for us, it helped to solidify our love as parents and also to truly learn to love our gay son without putting restrictions or conditions on him. Oh, and my wife actually shared your video with a friend of hers on Facebook.
Lessa, I understand the ups and downs and the hurt. But know that you are making a difference and that God knows what He is doing. That is all that matters.
Thanks for sharing that Nate and I’m glad that you found it helpful. Keep loving that amazing son of yours :-).
Thank you for being bold and speaking out. You will never know the positive impact that you have had on our family and I am sure on other families. Most importantly, you have a family that is growing in love and in numbers.
brave on daughter, brave on—love, D
Love you D
Really appreciated John’s article.Thanks for sharing it. And thanks for pressing on, Lesa.