When I think of Paul I generally think of him as a single man, not tied to any family. What freedom this gives. When one hears the call of God to go here or there, you can go.
While this is all true, the incident with Paul's nephew –the son of his sister (16) –caused me to realize that he did have family members, family members who were affected by his imprisonment, trails and persecutions.
We all have a web of relationships that can affect our decision making.
A single friend and colleague of mine has recently decided to move to Asia for ministry. Actually it is better to say he feels called and is following the Lord's direction to move to Asia. His parents don't totally get it. They are Believers but they are also parents and they will miss their son and worry about his wellbeing in that foreign land.
No matter who we are, when we respond to God's call to do something out of the ordinary… move to Asia as a missionary, serve the poor of the inner city, or whatever… there will likely be other voices in our life –well meaning voices –that try to dissuade us.
When I first began traveling to Nigeria some of my family was concerned for my safety. The faith tension we face is following the Lord's leading even when some voices, often from our family, speak against the idea.
Faith decisions affect the people in our family circle. This is simply a fact of following Jesus. My internal struggles have been to honor my loved ones while being obedient to the Lord. This is a tension every Christ follower will face from time to time…
Have you ever felt this tension? How did you react? Were you still obedient? Think about it.
Lord, continue to give me faith to follow Your call no matter what. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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