Jesus invites us on a lifelong journey of discipleship. As we walk with him over time, we can bring him our questions and confusion and trust him to lead us into increasing understanding and faithfulness.

In the beginning, God created humanity in his image according to his perfect design. But, we have all sinned, or rebelled, against God by rejecting his design for ourselves. In trying to be our own creators, we miss out on our true, God-given identity and purpose.

We live in a world that preaches instant gratification, but Jesus calls us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him. When we deny ourselves to follow Jesus, we find our true selves in him, and he leads us to joy and freedom.

Followers of Jesus are called to love our neighbors, even those who disagree with us. Just like Jesus invites us into a relationship with him even while we are still sinners, we can invite people who struggle with their gender and sexuality into meaningful friendships. We can show compassion toward our LGBTQ friends without affirming their lifestyles or compromising God’s commands.