What is your same-sex attraction?

For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

John 3:17 

Yesterday I researched what the scriptures have to say about homosexuality.

This is was how I felt and what I thought about what I found.

God, Father in Heaven, loves each of his children. You and I are the children of Father in Heaven. Our ancestors, and our predecessors are children of the same divine being.

Before we came to earth we were spirits. We desired to be like our Father. Our Father desired us to be like Him. The Father has a perfected body of flesh and bones. In order for us to become like him we had to acquire a body of flesh and bones. By the means of procreation we acquired these bodies. They are not perfect, but they will be. Being like our Father means more than having a body. Being like our Father means demonstrating an ability to overcome temptations of unrestrained action- such as over-eating or under eating, over sleeping, or under sleeping,yelling, bullying, watching TV, spending too much money, sexual interaction with out the bounds of marriage between a man and a woman....

I know same-sex attraction has the spot light right now. I know that the purpose of procreation is joy.

I do not know the depth and magnitude of same-sex attraction, an addiction to homosexual behavior, or other sexual behavior such as bestiality, rape, masturbation, etc. These all have varying degrees of inappropriateness. Some are much more grievous than others.

I do know that in addition to being spirits before we were born we had a gender. We had characteristics  consistent with our current sex. We hoped to be born to parents who respected and loved one another. We hoped to be born to parents who recognized and met their obligations to one another, to God, and to their posterity.We hoped they would support one another in fulfilling these obligations. Recognizing how imperfect this world is, and how imperfect all of us are.

There are those that are born into physical bodies which confuse the specific gender of an individual.

Our imperfect bodies in this imperfect world face challenge, after challenge, after challenge.

We do not know all the challenges and struggles. I doubt we've even scratched the surface.

Since I was a child I've pulled out my hair. It is called trichotillomania. Perhaps my genetic makeup caused this disorder. Perhaps some environmental influence lead to it. It is likely that both have played a role.

I cannot express the deep resentment and frustration I feel when someone tells me "just don't do it."
I imagine those who deal with same-sex attraction and desire to overcome it, or not, have the same riveting reaction when told to"just stop it."


That's not how these things work. I was once told that you can't eliminate the darkness in a room by wishing it to go away, or chasing it out. In order to eliminate the darkness you must replace it with light.

. . .by small means the Lord can bring about great things.1 Nephi 16:29 

In our fallen bodies, and in this fallen world I have tried this or that to replace my struggle with a good habit. As I have striven to restrain the untamed desires of my body, a light has oft times replaced the darkness I have felt.

Christ was lifted up by a cross, having just performed the Atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane.
He died. He rose again with a perfected body. He lives.

Whatever the struggle, there is hope.