Day of Silence: How to Respond to This LGBTQ-Themed Observance

Keep these observations in mind as you wrestle together with God’s blueprint for sexuality.

Points to Remember

• God loves lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. He cherishes them, and they’re as incredibly special to Him as any of His other children.
• The Bible teaches that a homosexual lifestyle conflicts with God’s blueprint for sexuality. The same is true of premarital sex, adultery, lustful thoughts, and many other dimensions of sexuality that our culture widely accepts. The fact that these other sinful distortions of God’s blueprint for sexuality are widely accepted doesn’t change the truth of God’s Word and teaching. (See Romans 1:20-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.)
• Whatever the sexual sin, the justification that it “feels so right” doesn’t change the truth of God’s Word. Virtually all sexual sin “feels right” at the time. That’s why humans head down those wrong paths. But the present, fleeting pleasure lures us away from God’s truth.
• God isn’t a killjoy regarding sexuality. The reason God gives us scriptural guidelines for sexual behavior is that sex outside a heterosexual marriage has destructive consequences. It breaks God’s heart to see us willfully damage or destroy our lives and relationships.
• God hates all sinful behavior. Our sin, whatever it is, distances us from Him and yields pain and hurt in our lives. The Bible identifies only one unforgivable sin, the choice of permanently rejecting Christ.
• Jesus looks on us with compassion, love, forgiveness, and grace. But He also desires what’s best for us. So that’s why God gives us biblical guidelines for living.

What To Do on the Day of Silence

If opportunities arise to discuss the Day of Silence with teens or friends, try not to preach. We’re all broken people who need a redeeming relationship with our God through Jesus. Christians should be among the first to reach out toward members of the LGBTQ community. After all, our role model, Jesus, often faced criticism for hanging out with the wrong types of people.

So acknowledge the struggle the Day of Silence presents for you as a follower of Christ. Personally wrestle with the tension between not compromising your convictions about morality. Then keep loving all your neighbors and sharing the good news of Jesus.

This article by Lane Palmer originally appeared here.