Trust in God's Love for Them

This post is from my I Don't Want Them to Go to Hell devotional, which helps the friends and families of LGBTQI+ folx process the news when their loved one comes out to them. Click here to read more about the devotional, and see a sample.

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

(Luke 12:6-7 NKJV)

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? (Matthew 6:26-27 NKJV)

Processing news of a loved one’s sexual orientation or gender identity can feel like you are drowning in a sea of confusion and anxiety. It’s particularly hard for parents, whose job throughout the course of their children’s lives is to protect them.

Part of the worry is due to fears about the future. You worry they may not be able to find a stable, happy romantic relationship. You worry they are angering God. You worry they’ll be the target of harassment or violence.

Today’s readings remind us of how valued we are in the sight of God. That doesn’t mean just the people who follow the letter of biblical law, or those who go to church every Sunday and tithe 10%. It means everyone, including your LGBTQ loved one. They are of much greater value than a whole flock of sparrows. They are made in the very image of God, and he loves them with his whole being.

Let’s take a look at the final verse from the Matthew chapter, just a few lines after what we read above:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

(Matthew 6:34 NKJV)

It may feel like you have many reasons to worry, and of course the world is full of perils which can make us freeze up when we think about the vulnerabilities of those we love. But Jesus tells us not to focus on these worries. And the reason we can rest in this truth is that God loves those he creates much more than we can possibly love even our most beloved child, family member, or friend.

When we rest in that truth, we have a chance of laying those worries down.

The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.

Martin Luther