By Melanie Kauffman

I have a distinct memory from a weekend retreat I attended as a junior-higher. Someone had set up a blackboard with two halves: “Things we want to talk about this weekend, ” and “Let’s not talk about this.” Naturally, someone wrote “sex” in big capital letters in the “not” half. The room filled with laughter and nods of agreement. “We know what we are and aren’t supposed to do. We know what the Bible says. We don’t need to talk about this.”

I was encouraged by my sisters in Crossroads to join them at the “Women Helping Women” seminar held at New Life Dresher several weeks ago. The seminar focused on how to minister to women who are broken or struggling in sexual sin. “I know how to talk to my friends about this stuff,” I thought. But did I really know how to help them?

I arrived at New Life Dresher having no idea what to expect. The hallway leading to the senior high room was lined with tables filled with pamphlets, newsletters, and a large selection of books for sale. I was happy upon entering the room to see a large number of women, some familiar, some total strangers, all of different ages and from different walks of life.

Throughout the day we discussed everything from God’s design for relationships, to the sex-obsessed society we find ourselves in today. We talked about how to address shameful, habitual sin, and how to speak the truth in love to one another. I ended my notes from the day with a quote from our final speaker. “The first thing you gotta do is you gotta be brave.” Every single woman at that seminar was brave enough to devote six hours of her Saturday on a difficult, emotional topic that we often shy away from.

As our culture evolves through the years, we see a gap building between how the gospel tells us to behave and what society deems acceptable. This is often most obvious in regards to sexuality, and as a result, we see brokenness all around. Let’s support our brothers and sisters, Christian and non-Christian alike. Let’s not put this in the “how about we don’t talk about it” category. Let’s be brave, for the Lord our God gives us strength.