Gender and Family Life

For this week’s class lecture what we discussed in Family Relations pertains to both gender and family life. For most of my life growing up, I had a fairly calm childhood. In today’s world, having to hear that there are people out there who express that they are attracted to the same gender as they have raised questions in my mind. I cannot begin to fathom how someone develops these kinds of relationships. The principle that I had learned in my family was that marriage is supposed to be between a man and a woman as expressed in The Family Proclamation. This is a touchy subject for me to write about, and I hope that no one takes offense to the words that I write in this blog. In my experience as far as gender goes, I love having friends who are the same gender as me, but that does not mean that I am sexually attracted to them in any way. I do have one experience that was quite shocking to me that I would be tempted that way. It was during this time that I was in my sixth area on my mission and we were having a district meeting and one of the missionaries in our district I was tempted to have feelings for. It scared me so badly that I felt like I needed to contact my mission president and let him know what was going on. The good news is that this had only happened that one time and that temptation has never shown itself again. It’s scary to think just how many different ways that the adversary can try to tempt you to do something you know is not good. I have felt in my life the terrible power that Satan has, and whenever I felt that darkness, I would pray that the Lord would lift me out of this darkened state and back into the light.

When it comes to relationships, Satan has found ways of changing the way they are meant to be. I cannot remember if I have ever met someone who was in a same-sex relationship, but it’s hard for me to see that this is where our world is coming to. Though I may not support the LGBTQ organization as a well, I will never be discriminatory towards someone who identifies as such. We are all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. Though we may not always approve of the choices that we make, He will always love us. I strive each day to become more like my Father in Heaven. Though I am not perfect, I always want to have the goal of loving other people regardless if they return the same feeling toward me. All of us will experience adversity and affliction throughout our lives, but we have to be careful not to judge people based on their actions. As Christ has said, “judge not, lest ye be judged with the same judgment.” For those who might not have the same feeling that I do, I just want you to know that I am not judging you on the actions you take. You are all beloved children of an Eternal Being who loves you and cares for you. If you are experiencing hardship regarding having these unwanted feelings towards the same sex, then I invite you to seek the best counselor out there who can help you overcome this. You are not alone in this matter, help is always out there, but you have to be the one that takes the initiative. In the experience that I mentioned earlier, it was recommended that I go see a counselor and talk to him about what was going on with me. The outcome for me was one of gratitude. The counselor told me that it was okay to think that another guy was handsome, but that I did not have to act on the feelings that came to my mind. Though it may seem confusing with having these feelings, just know that there is someone out there who knows how you are feeling. Our Savior Jesus Christ knows what we are going through, and He will always be there to comfort you.

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