Justin Greenfield: Healing the Root, Not Just the Symptoms - Part Two {Eps 134}

Justin Greenfield: Healing the Root, Not Just the Symptoms - Part Two {Eps 134}

Author: Melinda Patrick July 2, 2026 Duration: 43:23

Many parents walking the difficult journey with an LGBT-identified child feel burdened by guilt, shame, regret, confusion, or fear. Some are estranged from their children. Others are trying to navigate relationships filled with tension and uncertainty.

Most people focus on symptoms while ignoring the deeper issues beneath them.

Whether it's same-sex attraction, family conflict, shame, anger, addiction, or relational brokenness, lasting change cannot happen if root causes remain untouched.

As Justin explains, cutting weeds isn't enough. If the root remains, the problem continues to grow back.

 

In this powerful TBBU episode, Justin Greenfield brings both personal experience and ministry insight to this conversation.

Having walked his own healing journey, Justin offers compassionate guidance to parents and individuals alike. He emphasizes the importance of identifying lies, wounds, unhealthy attachments, shame, and other root issues that often influence behavior.

Melinda joins the conversation as a parent who understands the pain and complexity of this journey and encourages parents to pursue their own healing alongside their children.

 

Justin offers three key encouragements for parents:

1. Accept God's Grace

2. Give Your Child to God

3. Pursue Your Own Healing Journey

 

The healing journey isn't only for your child. God is inviting parents into deeper intimacy, freedom, and restoration as well. As parents heal, they become a source of hope and strength for others walking similar paths.

 

The Call to Action

Ask God to reveal the root issues beneath the surface.

Rather than focusing solely on changing behavior, invite Him to uncover:

  • Unhealed wounds
  • False beliefs
  • Shame
  • Unforgiveness
  • Fear
  • Family patterns
  • Areas needing deeper surrender

Then seek wise, trusted people who can help you walk through the healing process with biblical truth and practical wisdom.

 

When individuals and families embrace God's healing process:

  • Shame loses its power.
  • Relationships can be restored.
  • Parents become healthier and stronger.
  • Children encounter a different family dynamic.
  • The church becomes equipped to minister with both truth and grace.
  • Freedom and transformation become possible.

 

Resources Mentioned


Melinda Patrick hosts The Bridge Between Us: A Guide For Christian Parents Navigating the LGBTQ Conversation, a space created for those navigating one of family life's most complex and emotional journeys. This podcast speaks directly to the moment a parent learns their child identifies as LGBTQ-a moment often met with a whirlwind of love, fear, faith questions, and a deep desire to preserve connection. Rather than offering simplistic answers, these conversations explore the nuanced tension between deeply held religious beliefs and the unconditional love for a child. Melinda brings empathy and understanding to the heartbreak and confusion, assuring parents they are not alone in their struggle. Each episode delves into practical aspects of building and maintaining that essential bridge of relationship, discussing what it means to embody both grace and truth in daily interactions. The dialogue here is for parents seeking to move beyond fear or isolation, looking for a compassionate path forward that honors their faith and their child. By focusing on real stories and thoughtful perspectives, this podcast becomes a vital resource for strengthening family bonds during a time of profound change. It’s about finding a way to walk together, even when the path feels unfamiliar.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Bridge Between Us: Loving Your LGBT Identified Child Without Compromising Biblical Truth
Podcast Episodes
What If God Wants To Do More Than Answer Your Prayer {Eps 141} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:33
If I asked what you most want God to change about the situation with your child, you could probably answer quickly. Maybe you want a decision reversed. A relationship restored. A conversation to finally happen. Or you de…
When Your Child's Choices Start Consuming Your Life {Eps 140} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:18
When something is happening in your child's life that you desperately want to change, it can all start feeling like your responsibility. Their choices. Their relationship with God. Whether they understand what you're try…
When Fear Becomes Your Parenting Strategy {Eps 137} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:19
Fear is a natural response when someone we love is making choices we don't understand or when the future feels uncertain. For many Christian parents, fear can quietly become a constant companion—fueling worry, second-gue…
When Guilt Is Driving Your Parenting {Eps 136} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:47
Guilt is one of the heaviest burdens many Christian parents carry, especially when an adult child makes choices that differ from their values, faith, or hopes for the future. Questions like What did I do wrong?, Could I…
The Beliefs That Quietly Drive Your Parenting {Eps 135} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:54
As Christian parents, we often focus on our child's choices, behaviors, and circumstances. But what if some of our strongest emotional reactions are actually being shaped by our own beliefs that we haven't fully recogniz…
Staying Anchored In Jesus During Pride Month {Eps 132} [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:41
June can feel especially heavy for Christian parents navigating the complexities of loving a child who identifies as LGBTQ while also holding to biblical convictions. In this episode, Melinda Patrick offers compassionate…