I want to get baptized, but my parents don't support me
Message:
I'm currently attending a Seventh Day Adventist church and I've been going for 2 years now. I really do want to get baptized there, but my parents don't support me. I've slowly been distancing myself from God because of family problems and because my parents don't support me in attending church and doing missionary work. It really does make me sad. They've stopped letting me go a lot because the boy I'm in love with (for 2 years) goes there, and I'm praying for him because we are in love but my parents don't know. I'm 17 and I really want to get baptized alongside my family and him but my parents don't support me in my decision to get baptized.
Response:
Dear G2G,
Thank you for contacting us and sharing your struggles of family and faith. It is certainly disconcerting to hear that your desire to follow Jesus is not being accepted by your own family. The fact is that many young people like you encounter certain friction with their parents as they start getting older and trying to make more of their own decisions. Reading your email, it seems that you are really trying to make sense of your faith and of your parents support (or lack thereof) in regards to your decisions. Maybe having a conversation with your parents about the reasons you feel like joining the SDA church, and that may have to also explain your feelings for the boy that goes to church. It will probably not make them change right away, but if they see that you are serious about Jesus and about making sure that you respect them also, they may feel inclined to see things from your perspective. Often it takes many conversations for people to understand each other. This could be an opportunity to communicate more with your parents about what you sense you need to do.
