"In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Phil 4:6
How can we pray with you...
Previous prayer requests have been archived.
I can identify with your struggle 
what should i do? (Sarah)
|
Dear Sarah,
Like you, I too am a Christian in a non-Christian family; in fact, there are only two Christians (a cousin and me) in my entire extended family, which spans a good number of aunts amd uncles and their families. My relatives vary in their religiosity, but most of them, particularly on my mother's side, are Buddhists who are moderately observant of their faith and visit temples, mediums, etc, regularly, though I suppose they are not really deeply devout. As you already know, it can be extremely intimidating to be a Christian whose beliefs and values are so very different, and yet who is also expected to follow the social norms (good ones too, in my opinion) in maintaining an attitude of respect towards one's elders. For me, the struggle is still on-going, so I'm afraid I can't offer you any "secrets for success", though a number of others have already posted some good advice which you and I may perhaps do well to take to heart. Like you, while my family knows that I'm a Christian, there is a communication "dead zone" on this topic; we simply do not discuss our religious differences, and I hesitate to do anything that others might characterise as "Christian stuff" when at home. It shames me that I display such shame of the gospel, but it feels like there is such a huge barrier to overcome. At a cognitive level, I am aware that what I am doing is avoiding conflict by pretending that no problem exists. This strategy may, in fact, be a good option in many situations of personal differences (tacitly "agreeing to disagree") -- but in this case, the stakes are eternal. I know and fully believe that God's plan of salvation through the sacrifice, freely and undeservingly given, of Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life with our just and loving Master and Creator, and that if I leave my family to just continue in their spiritual blindness, I may one day have to confess before the Perfect Judge my wilful responsibility, even if only in part, for my family member's eternal condemnation. Given the knowledge of this certain doom, surely we should be deeply motivated through love to step outside our comfort zones and risk conflict with even our own family for this highest of causes? I am reminded of Matthew 10:34-36: "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.'" (NIV) However, it is easy to say all this, but difficult to take the first step to do anything in practice. I suppose it primarily boils down to fear -- yet this is a fear we should not have, for we can have complete confidence in the Lord and His Word! As such, my own inaction is an act of rebellion and disobedience -- a continuing sin. Dear sister in Christ, as I've written earlier, I don't have any personal triumphs to encourage you, but you can be sure that you are far from alone in your struggle, especially here in Singapore. I do pray that the Holy Spirit will grant me His strength for me to grow in my walk with Him, and that He will enable me to live a life that is a holy testimony to His truth and, in due course, give me the right words to speak to my family members so that they, too, will be convinced by the Spirit to come into God's family. This is a prayer which I pray for you and for all others in similar circumstances as well. After all, "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible"! May God bless you and keep you. Best regards. kelvin lim
|
to:
Back to Antioch's Home Page