Deciding for Christ often comes with friction. There are times when the wave of God’s power moves a family or community to respond massively to his call. Yet, even in such moments, everyone still needs to understand what following God truly entails.
Our decision to follow God is more enduring when we personally choose to follow him based on our own encounter with him. In such a personal, subjective encounter-where no one else is a witness except the Holy Spirit-it can be difficult to gain acceptance from those close to us. Our experience is not theirs. They may feel we are trying to appear holier than thou or even think we are out of our minds.
In the gospel of Luke 12:49-53, the Lord Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided: three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father; mother against daughter and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Making a choice between divine call and human expectations is not always easy. Blood ties can influence our decision to follow God’s bidding. Hence, we need to pray for guidance. Our family may think otherwise; our friends may dissent, our work ethics may oppose our religious ethos, yet Jesus calls us to be decisive.
Above all, the Lord cannot call us and leave us half-way. He has plans for us. All we need is proper discernment to know when he is calling and for what specific purpose in life. As a married person, he may have a special assignment for us. As a priest or religious, he may be inviting us to a special mission. We need to transcend every form of distraction around us and focus on the Lord who works in us to will and to do.
No matter the faceoff we meet in our following of Christ, let us keep our gaze on the Lord. The author of the letter to the Hebrew said admonished, “…Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” Hebrews 12:1-4. In Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10, the prophet Jeremiah was perceived as a threat to the nation’s well-being because of his prophetic messages. As a result, he was thrown into a dry cistern. However, through the king’s intervention, he was rescued and brought out safely.
We need courage and perseverance to sail through the frictions that come with our choice for Christ. He is there for us and will always protect and preserve us for his own greater glory and our salvation.
May nothing separate us from the love of Christ. Amen.
Leave a comment