How to not lose your faith

Creating a Stronger Faith & Family

Most LDS/Christian parents share common dreams for their children. That their child will fall in love. Get married. Have children. They believe in the power of falling in love. They believe this is Heavenly Father’s plan for their child to become their best self and live their best life.

When your child comes out as LGBTQ those dreams don’t just disappear.

So if you are LDS/Christian this puts your brain into cognitive dissonance. The term cognitive dissonance is used to describe the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.

You believe that doctrine of marriage and you also believe that your child would have a more fulfilled life being married.

You want you child to progress in the gospel but you also want them to live a whole full life. In the gospel, we believe that the highest level of happiness in this life and in the next life includes a spouse and creating a family.

This conflict of the brain causes feelings of unease or discomfort. I don’t know of a LDS/Christian LGBTQ parent that doesn’t experience this. You want to be faithful but you also want to support what is best for your child’s well being. This puts us in a space that feels unchartered with the Lord.

Historically LDS/Christian families have felt there were only 2 paths. Some choose to leave the church because they felt like in order to support their child they couldn’t keep their membership. Others felt like in order to stay that they couldn’t support their child, so essence they left their child.

I believe there is a third path and I am seeing more families forge their way on this path. There is no map for this path, so to find your way you have to increase your skills of hearing Him. You learn to trust the Lord in a new way. And most importantly you learn to find grace why you “wait upon him.”

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