Embracing the Journey by Greg McDonald & Beth Jusino

Author:Greg McDonald & Beth Jusino
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howard Books

Lynn

* * *

I’D PROMISED GREG JR. that I would tone down my “Bible-preaching mama” voice, but I still looked for chances to talk to my son’s friends about Jesus.

One morning I remember as being very special. Greg Jr. was visiting, and he’d brought home a friend named Justin. I immediately thought Justin was a sweet guy, outgoing and easy to talk to. He was a few years older than Greg Jr. and they acted like brothers, with Justin always looking out for my son. Of course, I immediately loved him for that. As the weekend progressed, though, I thought there was also something sad about him.

I got up early and made a pot of coffee. As I was pouring my first cup, Justin came into the kitchen. I poured him a cup too, and the two of us sat comfortably in the family room and chatted. I asked him all kinds of questions, and he answered them easily. We talked about growing up in Kansas, and about his siblings and his parents. I found out that he had a turbulent relationship with his dad but was close to his mom. Maybe that’s why he trusted me.

Justin was the first person to really open up and tell me what it was like to be a young gay man in Chicago. He told me how hard it had been to come out and what he worried about now.

And for once, maybe for the first time, I remember that I just listened. I didn’t interrupt, I didn’t try to lead the conversation to some spiritual outcome. I just entered into this young man’s life and met him as a fellow creation—loved, sinful, hopeful, and made in the image of God.

Listening, I realized, was a powerful parenting tool that I hadn’t been paying nearly enough attention to.

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