There’s more to life than feeling happy and blissfully unaware of the faults, failures and pain around us, whether that’s in our own homes or miles away. Once this mindset is challenged, one can stop waking up every day thinking of what makes them feel good, even if that might seem selfless, and begin to be humbled, to take the gut blow to pride. Because no matter the situation, you are not perfect. We all have ways of acting and speaking that hurt others, that are based on insecurities and defense mechanisms. Sure, it’s easy to place blame on others to protect the person we think we are while the real us is hold up inside thick castle walls. We may even find that seemingly putting others first protects us from being seen or our pain and sadness exposed.
How do we get so far from introspection and self-analysis
and so immersed in blame and criticism?
What a tangled web we weave and blame the murder on someone else. We throw our hands up like we have no idea
how or why people around us may act in a way that doesn’t fit the mold of
propriety and decorum. When, in reality,
we have not really taken the time to listen to or see them because of our own
selfishness.
May God have mercy on us.
We place ourselves, others, material things and power and position above
him. That’s the real issue. We make gods of “good things” justifying it
and getting whatever good feelings we can get.
The problem comes in when those good things can’t sustain us and
disappoint us. While this is good as it
can lead us back to our God, some decide to ignore the fact that these things hurt
them and keep reaching and striving for the things of this world to give them
peace. Or they are angry at the world, perpetually demanding what it can never give them.
One such example, is family first. That sounds great on the outside. Be sure to put your family above all
else. Yet, this is going to lead to
heartache, because you will never be able to satisfy and help your family in
the manner that only God can. They
cannot give you fulfillment as Jesus Christ does. We are his children above all else. That’s who we are. We are not first part of an earthly
family. This belief leads to
disillusionment and protection of self and others in that system from being
challenged by the truths of the Word. We
should never be putting anyone else on this planet on a pedestal, no matter
their role in our lives. Whatever good
we have received from them, comes from Christ himself. If we don’t see this, we will stunt the
growth that can come within in a family when we bypass faults or hold back
forgiveness. We end up forgetting that
our family members are human and not meant to be idolized. We are not first earthly mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife. First, we are a child of God and brother, sister to our fellow believers.
We also often forget that peace comes by the sword. We tend to want peace so we avoid
conflict. That’s not the way it
goes. Our sinful natures need to be
challenged, exposed and humiliated. We
need family members to encourage growth in love. Deception is often subtle and unspoken-as Satan
wants it to be.
Speak the Word. Speak the truth. Do not be silent and lead your family to damnation. Remember, few enter the kingdom of heaven. People don’t want to hear this about their sweet babies, but they are sinful, born bound for hell. What they need to know is who they are in Jesus from the cradle to the grave. They need baptism, faith, God’s Word, prayer, the fellowship of believers, and a focus on Christ above anyone or anything else. If we model anything less, they will most likely follow. Don’t assume, that politeness motived by fear for the sake of a “happy family” is going to lead them to heaven. That just keeps us from having to have real conversations, protects our fear and leads to disconnection and distance. Have the hard conversations. Get to know the person God created them to be. See your own faults and talk openly about them and God's mercy and grace toward us all.
