Mom & Dad - part 1

This Little Light of Mine - LGBTQ, Christianity, religious trauma, mental health

Hello and welcome to Episode 27 of This Little Light Of Mine. My name is James Powell and I’m glad that you’re able to join me for today’s interview episode.

Families can be some of the most complicated relationships that we have. Adding elements of religion and queerness can be like adding fuel to an already roaring fire.

On today’s episode I’m joined with Christian parenting experts, LGBTQ2S+ advocates, and the earthly creators of me… yup, this is the first part of my interview with my Mom & Dad.

As you’ll hear, I was pretty nervous and awkward when starting this conversation, but wow, am I ever glad that I pushed through those messy feelings.

What I think we all realized after having this conversation is how poorly we’ve all been at asking many of the questions that we’ve been holding onto for years.

One thing that I’ve been repeatedly reminded of during my recovery journey is that we are only as sick as our secrets. As much as I’ve tried to keep some of these awkward and uncomfortable conversations in, it doesn’t do anything for the healing process, in fact, it hurts it. Keeping silent and not having an authentic conversation was keeping me trapped in my head and living in my past.

Uncomfortable conversations are part of the journey, these are signs that you are growing. That being said, there is a big difference between being uncomfortable and being unsafe. I wasn’t ready to have many of these conversations when I was younger because I felt unsafe.

You might be in a similar position in your life right now. Only you will know your own situation and I encourage you to go inside and to listen to what you know is true for you. Don’t force these situations and make yourself feel wrong if you feel you are not safe in having them.

Wherever you are on this journey, know that you are loved unconditionally by God who made you exactly as you are.

You are created for spiritual growth that embraces your full humanity. You are designed to learn, grow, thrive, and evolve, even if that process causes you some awkward and uncomfortable growing pains.

You are loved.