Full Transcript
When it comes to topics of sexuality, there’s a lot of disagreement. And so how do you navigate relationships when somebody that you really love sees this topic very differently than you do even within say, the Christian faith?
Well, I think first of all, we’ve gotta start with a commitment to love people. Well, I think sometimes as soon as a topic like this comes up that we feel strongly about, the temptation is to put the topic before the person, before the relationship. And when we look in the scripture, we see that God is all about connection and relationship. And yes, theology matters and ideas matter, but also people matter. Jesus said that people would know that we are His disciples, by the way we love each other, that we are supposed to live a life of love in an imitation of God. And so we’ve got to commit to that, that relationships are important.
And then the next thing you do, I think, is you listen, you ask questions and listen again. In our day and age, the first thing that we want to do usually is speak. We wanna share our truth, but really, we earn the right to speak by listening and understanding somebody else’s perspective and, and listening in such a way that you’re actually looking to learn something. I’ve learned a lot from people that disagree with me, and it doesn’t necessarily change my mind all the time, but it helps me understand their perspective. It helps me nuance how I speak to them season, my speech with salt. And so we wanna do a lot of question asking and listening and just connecting to that individual. And now, after listening and investing, you’ve kind of earned the right to share your thoughts and your opinions. Maybe that person wants to hear your thoughts or opinions. Maybe you just say, “Hey, I really value your perspective. I, I’d like to share a little bit of how I see it differently.” And when you share, remember that you’re not trying to win an argument. You’re not even trying to persuade the person. You’re really testifying to what God has taught you. I think it’s helpful to use your personal journey as how those truths have impacted you. I think it’s good to share with humility, uh, knowing that you’re still on a learning journey too. Uh, and then again, go back to that commitment of relationship that sometimes these conversations are playing the long game. The goal really isn’t the agenda of changing the mind of the other person, but the goal is the mission of loving people well and walking with faithfulness and integrity.
