My family is one of the things God has laid on my heart more heavily than any other burden. The Lord truly has taken the yoke for me a few times, and even protected me from some potentially hurtful situations. A few different times I have come to the conclusion that my family can't come to Christ solely by way of me. I need support systems surrounding them constantly with love, encouragement and truth. I have prayed for them without ceasing, and have had faith that the Lord will soften them beyond my imagination.
However, there are times of trial and tribulation. This week is one of them. It seems that Satan is attacking my family in a way I've never experienced -- or at least witnessed as one of Christ's followers. I just heard an amazing message last night on the Armor of God. One of the weapons that we are given to fight with is the sword -- "take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Ephesians 6:17. This is one of the weapons among many others. Jesus uses this weapon as well. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law -- a man's enemies will be the members of his own household'" Matthew 10:34-36.
This is so unbelievably evident I don't know how to handle it any more. I have been told by my father that if I truly loved and cared for my sister, I would not talk to her about God any more. If it's important to me to be friends with her then I need to leave that part of my life out of her and my relationship. He says it's because she's like him. He implies that I need to do the same for him. I'm called to pick up my sword though! I'm not supposed to come in "peace". I need to fight for tham out of love against the enemy. These passages are so encouraging. However, I heard a message recently of a pastor's testimony: He has been a pastor for over 30 years, lived a godly life, raised a family that is all committed to following the Lord. However, the family he was born into has yet to come to know Christ. His 90 year old father will not accept Him as his Savior. Am I so naive to believe that God will soften my parent's hearts, if even these people will not accept Truth? God promised me in Matthew 10 that he has not come to bring peace. What does this mean for my family? For my sister... my brother... my mother... my father... Will He allow them to come to know Him?
In seeing this, I am reminded that I have been adopted by God. He has his one and only begotten Son, and he has adopted the rest of us who call him our Father -- Galations 4:4-7. This is amazing, because my Heavenly family will never disappoint. Christ has been through the oppression and affliction that I experience. He hurts when I hurt, and He holds me through it all -- I can never escape from my Father's hand.
I have not only been adopted by God, but also by my friends. All my close friends have been raised in Christian homes. Homes where the love of Christ is displayed by their parents, or grandparents, or siblings. Most of the time, all of the above. This means they attended camps, and had Christian friends, and went to youth groups that were encouraging. They made life-long friends -- in addition to their families! This hardly seems fair to me. Because of my past, I have made all new friends. I have no family with my faith and foundation to lean on. No family like a solid rock to stand firm upon. But when I am surrounded by these friends, I am reminded that I cannot take them for granted. I was not born into this family of friends that I have been blessed with. They have chosen me, in a perfect reflection of the way God, my Father, has chosen me.
Should I be discontent? Should I need more? Is it okay for me to want friends AND family for Christian inspiration? Am I being selfish? I have been delving into the scripture to find these answers. Perhaps there are no answers. But please pray for my family. I hope God would understand that selfishness is as good a reason as any for me to long for my family's salvation.
3 comments:
It is not selfish to desire that your family know the Lord. I pray for my sister's who though professed to know the Lord, there has been no fruit for years. I know in my heart they are not saved and that I feel limits our relationship-I can not have the same bond as I do with other believers. It is sad--I have come to the point where I can not talk to my sisters or mom about the Lord because they become defensive, angry and distant.I have chosen to pray for them and to show them the love of the Lord through my attitude and behavior. I think about 1 Pt 3 where he talks about wives winning their unsaved husbands without a word because of their behavior. So I apply it the same way to my family. As a child you can obey your parents even if they just suggest something, that will show respect and honor. Which as a parent, is a wonderful feeling. And spend time with your sister do things together-create a bond of love, show her you love her and show her the love of the Lord through you. Don't leave her behind because you are living your own life-she might resent Christianity because it took you away from her(I did this)-and don't make your family feel like you judge them-I did this-my sisters still feel resentment towards me.
I would love to talk about it with you sometime I obviously have a lot to say :)-keep praying
Thanks for your thoughts... we are praying for you and thinking of you. I know that my wifey has faced some similar situations, and her mom fairly recently professed faith, so that has been a HUGE encouragement.
Remember Isaiah 55:10-11 -- "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it."
You're a blessing, ma'am! :-)
With this post you've tied together some things that we've spent some time talking about. I'm a big believer that writing things down is a superior method of communication, and with this I feel like I understand where you come from a lot better.
Other comments here mention your family, and, like I told you before, I don't know what I'd say to you about that except to keep praying cause it's not your battle. I'm thinking about your friends issues though.
It's a really good point that you make that you've not had the background that we all have. You have had a lot of changing in the past few years. I will say again that we all benefit from getting to see that. Your testimony for what God can do is worth being a part of. You are an encouragement to us all, if not the one who we confide in.
There's only one in my life who really knows all my secrets, and He's in yours too.
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