Chapter Four

Family, Faith, and the Father’s Will

I didn’t expect to wrestle so much with family on this journey.
I thought they’d understand.
I thought they’d see the fruit, see the change, and say, “We’re with you.”

But sometimes, the hardest “no” comes from the ones you love most.

And sometimes, the deepest pain isn’t persecution from strangers, it’s pressure from those closest to you.

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  (Matthew 10:37)

That verse hit me like a brick the first time I took it seriously.

Jesus wasn’t asking me to stop loving my family.
He was asking me not to replace Him with them.

He was calling me to put the Father’s will above every other voice, even the voice that raised me.

I had to ask myself:
Would I still obey Jesus if my family never agreed?
Would I still speak the truth if it made me the outcast at the table?
Would I still follow the Father’s leading if it made me look foolish in the eyes of those I longed to please?

I wanted harmony.
God wanted holiness.

And sometimes, in this fallen world, those two don’t live in the same house.

“Jesus replied, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’
Pointing to his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Matthew 12:48-50)

That verse used to offend me.
Now it frees me.

Jesus was never dishonouring His earthly family, He was revealing a greater family, bound not by blood, but by obedience.

And that’s what I’ve come to understand:
Faith births family.

Not everyone born into your life is meant to walk with you into your calling.
Sometimes the people you feel most obligated to, are the very ones God is asking you to surrender into His hands.

I still love them.
I still pray for them.
But I no longer compromise for them.

I follow Jesus, and if that means walking differently than those around me, so be it.

Because in the end, I don’t want the approval of my family if it means grieving the Spirit of God.

Let me ask you something I’ve had to ask myself many times:

What would you do differently if your faith didn’t have to fit into your family dynamic?

Would you speak more boldly?
Would you move more freely?
Would you obey more quickly?

Family is a gift, but it’s not your God.

You are not a traitor for obeying the Father’s voice.
You are a son (or daughter) of God.
You were called before you were born.
And your first loyalty is not to your heritage, but to His kingdom.

Father,

You know how deep my love runs for my family.
You also know how much I’ve feared their rejection.

Today, I choose to lay that fear down.
I choose Your will over their comfort.
I choose truth over tradition.

Teach me how to honour without compromising.
How to love without shrinking.
How to stand without apology.

And even if they don’t understand me now.
Let them one day see Your reflection in me.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.