I'm supposed to be doing my Greek homework right now, but I have a few minutes to blog before I do that.
Have you ever made an extreme sacrifice in order to be obedient to the Lord? I never really look at being a missionary that way because I feel like God has given me so much grace and mercy that it doesn't seem like an extreme sacrifice (plus the blessings have far outweighed any "sacrifices" if you even want to call them that). Lately, however, I am starting to realize that obedience to God can equal anger and bitterness from man.
As of right now, I am completely on the outs with my mom (I know a lot of non-native English speakers read this blog, so please forgive the idiom... it means we aren't talking to each other). And one of the offenses on her list of how I've screwed up our relationship is that it's my own fault for not knowing what has been going on in her life because I left her. Ouch.
For the last few months, whenever I think about Matthew 19:29 where Jesus says,
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."
... it stings, a lot! I know the eternal benefits are totally worth it, and that if I had chosen to disobey God, things would be horribly awful... but I miss my family in the States. And now I find out after all this time that my mom was only pretending to be supportive of me being a missionary, while secretly harboring bitterness against me in her heart.
In my head I had always counted the cost of what it could mean to have an unsupportive parent, but in my heart, I was caught off guard. But now I'm counting and calculating the cost, and in the end, the result is still the same... God is more important. God is worth losing anything and everything else there is in this world.
I know a lot of missionaries deal with this kind of thing, but I also know that there are a lot of young Christian adults out there who struggle with pleasing their parents and being obedient to God. Obviously the best situation is where obeying God pleases your parents, but if not, make sure you are obeying God. There is a price to pay for disobedience to Him, and it is far greater than disobeying your parents' wishes. Of course we need to be respectful to our parents and other family members that are in our lives, but we can't compromise in our walks with the Lord because they disagree with God's will for us. I'm not saying you should avoid godly counsel, but make sure you get counsel from older, wiser brothers and sisters in Christ who know you and can give you good counsel based on biblical wisdom and their assessment of your spiritual maturity.
As a parent I can honestly say that I don't know what I would do if Ksena told me she was going to move far away from me, but I hope that I would support her and love her unconditionally. Above anything else, I hope that I would want to see God's perfect will for her life, at any personal cost to me as her mother.
God, please protect me from ever being so selfish that I interfere with Your will for my children. Amen.
Have you ever made an extreme sacrifice in order to be obedient to the Lord? I never really look at being a missionary that way because I feel like God has given me so much grace and mercy that it doesn't seem like an extreme sacrifice (plus the blessings have far outweighed any "sacrifices" if you even want to call them that). Lately, however, I am starting to realize that obedience to God can equal anger and bitterness from man.
As of right now, I am completely on the outs with my mom (I know a lot of non-native English speakers read this blog, so please forgive the idiom... it means we aren't talking to each other). And one of the offenses on her list of how I've screwed up our relationship is that it's my own fault for not knowing what has been going on in her life because I left her. Ouch.
 |
| picture via {we heart it} |
"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."
... it stings, a lot! I know the eternal benefits are totally worth it, and that if I had chosen to disobey God, things would be horribly awful... but I miss my family in the States. And now I find out after all this time that my mom was only pretending to be supportive of me being a missionary, while secretly harboring bitterness against me in her heart.
In my head I had always counted the cost of what it could mean to have an unsupportive parent, but in my heart, I was caught off guard. But now I'm counting and calculating the cost, and in the end, the result is still the same... God is more important. God is worth losing anything and everything else there is in this world.
I know a lot of missionaries deal with this kind of thing, but I also know that there are a lot of young Christian adults out there who struggle with pleasing their parents and being obedient to God. Obviously the best situation is where obeying God pleases your parents, but if not, make sure you are obeying God. There is a price to pay for disobedience to Him, and it is far greater than disobeying your parents' wishes. Of course we need to be respectful to our parents and other family members that are in our lives, but we can't compromise in our walks with the Lord because they disagree with God's will for us. I'm not saying you should avoid godly counsel, but make sure you get counsel from older, wiser brothers and sisters in Christ who know you and can give you good counsel based on biblical wisdom and their assessment of your spiritual maturity.
As a parent I can honestly say that I don't know what I would do if Ksena told me she was going to move far away from me, but I hope that I would support her and love her unconditionally. Above anything else, I hope that I would want to see God's perfect will for her life, at any personal cost to me as her mother.
God, please protect me from ever being so selfish that I interfere with Your will for my children. Amen.
I have a quote on my bathroom mirror that I think about often...it reads, "God will never forget when you give up something you love for a God you love even more." And sometimes the something we give up is a relationship with someone. I agree that we should always honor our fathers and mothers, but ultimately, our relationship with God is the most important. I'm sorry things are hard for you. I admire your strength and faith in God's will for you regardless of what other people think is more important.
ReplyDeleteThanks Krys :) That is definitely a good quote to put up somewhere in our house!!
ReplyDeleteWell, i sure hope your mom doesn't read your blog :-)
ReplyDeleteMy mom was sad that we were in Hungary for so long, and her grief and disappointment manifested itself in many ways, some of which were hurtful to us. My mom's thing was that she understood theoretically why we lived far away, and that it wasn't because we didn't love her but because we were called and wanted to serve the Lord, and she even understood that was important and valid, but that theoretical knowledge doesn't always resolve the very real feelings of sadness and grief and disappointment over missing out on the relationship with you and your kids that they treasure and desire.
My advice is that you be patient and compassionate towards your mother, and understand that she is grieving a loss and her actions are caused by that. It will help you to be empathetic and understand her, yet unwavering in your commitment to your calling.
Thanks Nick, those are some good thoughts to chew on :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete