"I know that Jesus is the only way to God and I want to follow him but I love my
family and they will be angry with me if I become a Christian. What should I do?"
This is a very difficult question but it is very important. First, let's look at what the
Bible has to say.
Mark 10:29 "Jesus said to them, "and I tell you that those who leave home or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the
gospel, will receive much more in this present age. They will receive a hundred
times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields-and
persecutions as well; and in the age to come they will receive eternal life."
Exodus 20:12 "Respect your father and your mother, so that you may live a long
time in the land that I am giving you."
I Corinthians 7:12,13 &16 "To the others I say (I, Paul, not the Lord): if a Christian
man has a wife who is an unbeliever and she agrees to go on living with him, he
must not divorce her. And if a Christian woman is married to a man who is an
unbeliever, and he agrees to go on living with her, she must not divorce him...
How can you be sure, Christian wife, that you will not save your husband? Or how
can you be sure, Christian husband, that you will not save your wife?
Being a Christian doesn't mean that you stop loving your family. Actually, with
God's help you will love them even more and will want them to follow Jesus like
you do.
Making The Right Choice
Imagine that you are driving a car with all of your loved ones sleeping in the
backseat. You are trying to drive to the seaside for a family holiday. Suddenly,
you see signs that say "Danger, Landmines Ahead." "Stop" "Take Another Road."
What would you do? If you keep going on the road that you are on, eventually
you and your family will all die. But if you turn around your life will be saved.
Your family would be unhappy if they didn't get to go on their holiday at the
seaside, but if you love them you would rather have them unhappy and alive than
happy and dead. In the same way, if you become a Christian, you will be turning
from the path that leads to death and hell to the path that leads to life. Your
family might be unhappy for a while but you will be able to warn them of the
dangers of not following Jesus. Maybe they will become Christians too! If you
don't become a Christian, it is the same as keeping driving when you see the
signs that say, "Danger, Landmines Ahead." You would be responsible for your
family's death because you knew the truth but didn't warn them and you died with
them.
The choice is yours. I pray that you will choose life in heaven for yourself so that
you can warn your family of the dangers that lie ahead. Taking this step takes
courage, but sometimes love requires us to tell our loved ones the truth even if
it isn't pleasant. Remember, your decision to follow Christ is the most loving thing
you can do for your family, even if there are difficult times for a while. When they
see that you still love them, many of them will slowly stop seeing your new faith in
Christ as a threat but as a benefit because of the positive changes that Christ will
bring to your life that will make you into a better, kinder, more patient, and honest
person.
