Hi all. I am having a hard time with immediate family members treated me badly. I know it is from me trying to be a better Christian, but its so hard to take. Can anyone tell some stories of what has happened to you? How to grow in God, and overcome their criticism?
2006-06-19 06:24:41 · 12 answers · asked by ? 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I had this problem when I was a teenager. My family would continue picking until finally I blew up, and then they would say "See, you're the same old person you always were." Sometimes the most difficult place to be a Christian is your own home, because these are the people who know all of your faults.
Fortunately for us, being a Christian isn't about being perfect, though that is what we are to strive for. God knows that we're not perfect, and he loves us anyway. When we make a mistake, we do not have to beat ourselves up over it, we simply ask for forgiveness and then make an effort to not repeat the same mistake.
You will find that your "blow ups" are fewer and farther between. I will be honest with you, nothing you do will make your family stop. That is up to them. In my case, they didn't. I ended up going off to college with them still being the same way. However, now that I've been away for quite a few years, our relationships have gotten much better, and when I go home to visit, we can all be civil, and people on the outside might even think we love each other! ;) Yes, we do...but in the past it didn't always appear that way.
Good luck to you! Keep praying, keep looking to God. No one ever promised it would be easy, but it IS worth it!
2006-06-19 06:35:03 · answer #1 · answered by KansasSpice 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to give up a lot of worldly things to follow Christ Jesus. I experienced some rejection and criticism from friends and family, but some saw that my Love for them did not die away because I became a Christian, if anything it increased. Being a Christian you have to lead by example and Love even when Love may not be returned. Delivering that message in action and deed takes a lot of doing sometimes. You seem to be asking the right questions and you are on the right path. You have just let many of your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, know of your struggles with this problem and I with those will include you in our prayers tonight, that this burden be lifted from you so that you can continue to grow in your faith. MAY GOD BLESS YOU!
2006-06-19 06:58:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First off, you're in good company. All of the prophets and all of the Apostles were critisized by their families and friends for accepting the Lord.
After my dad accepted Jesus into his life, my mom nearly divorced him. She thought he had gone insane. Mind you, he stopped drinking and swearing, but apparently she thought giving those things up was crazy. When I accepted the Lord, many of my friends thought I was nuts and stopped hanging around.
mom didn't leave. In fact, she accepted the Lord as well. that took a LOT of prayer on dads part. I have more friends than I did before becoming a Christian. These friends I would seriously trust with my life.
"Pray for those that dispise you". I pray that your friends and family will come to understand and that your witness to them will bring them to the Lord.
dthomason7@yahoo.com if you want to talk about it more
2006-06-19 06:35:46 · answer #3 · answered by David T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey. i got saved when i was 15. my parents spent all our child hood telling us how stupid christianity was. They were angry and hurt when i got saved and said and did things that were mean, unfair and ugly. They forbid me from my faith. There really is nothing you can do to improve the situation except pray. You asked the better question. You can over come thier criticism by always forgiving the. and rembebering that you should not try to please them but God. dont give up on him cause he is eternal. no matter how much you love your family they are not.
2006-06-19 06:56:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think that my family does it intentionally... but they do it. For example, my fiancee and I do not beilieve in sex before marriage... so obviously we aren't going to move in together before we get married. However -- we just bought a house... (our wedding is Oct. 28th)... which is like 4 months away...
My fiancee moved into the house... I stayed at my moms -- no one will help me out w/ my dog (I work from 7-3, then school from 5 - 11) they refuse to let him in the house, etc.... it would be so much easier to move in w/ my fiancee... but we are trying to do things the way the Lord intended -- not the worldly way... and it just seems like no one will help us along, they just make it harder for us.
It's hard -- but just pray about it... the Lord will reward you for your struggles :)
2006-06-19 06:33:24 · answer #5 · answered by Lisa S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, you have to realize that religion is a personal choice. your family should be aware of your religion, but this doesn't mean you have to bring it up all the time or pass judgement on them.
that said, if they're being mean, tell them that it is YOUR choice, they have no say in it. you're just trying to be a better christian, and as your family they should support you. if they won't bring you to church, walk, if they don't want to hear you pray, do it quietly, if they don't want you attending church events, tell them its better than sitting in front of the tv.
hope that helps.
2006-06-19 06:31:13 · answer #6 · answered by Aleks 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I also have people in my life who scoff and scorn me for trying to be a better christian. It's not an easy road to travel. Just pray for them, pray for yourself to have the strength you need to stay on the right path, and most importantly, keep the faith. You are not alone.
2006-06-19 06:31:01 · answer #7 · answered by wylddragonflyz 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am going throught the same thing. I try, but my family just keeps getting in the way. You just have to remeber that God put your family there for a reason, he is teaching you patience.
2006-06-19 06:35:49 · answer #8 · answered by rkroxmysox915 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no matter what you do, stay in the word and surround yourself with people who believe like you do, with people who have been longer in the faith then you so that you may grow and learn from them.
and if it has to be you need to stay away from anybody who will hinder you from growing and if that means you have to stay away from family then it has to be that way. you need to make it clear to them that they need to respect the way you live now and that you will not tolerate any disrespect regarding you and your faith. and most important pray for your family, that they will stop doing what they are doing, that they will respect you and your faith and that they will see the fruits of the spirit in your life and be jealous and then try to get what you have - this will open the door for you to minister to them and prayerfully lead them to give their lives to Jesus as well
2006-06-19 06:35:54 · answer #9 · answered by delo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just to let you know, some people in this forum tend to leave a few hateful answers so please try to ignore them. What exactly are you having problems with? Are they just being rude to you? Trying to keep you from going to church? You really didn't give us much information to work with. Shoot me a message if you'd like someone to lean on.
2006-06-19 06:30:59 · answer #10 · answered by Candice H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋