Update on My Family

Repost from my Myspace blog, 4-15-08

I've been thinking a lot about how much I love Jesus. And how unbelievable blessed I am, that God would work in MY life and touch MY family... He's so good to me. I'm full of that feeling of being overwhelmed by undeserved kindness; the breathlessness of being showered with goodness that I didn't see coming...

Those of you who know me very well know that my family has been through a LOT in the past um, ten (?) years. Yikes. It's been a long time, and I just now realized it. Over these past years, at least one, and sometimes all of my immediate family members have been away from the Lord, living as prodigals because of unhealed hurts, bitterness, and pride. This has been really painful for me, especially the decline of my dad's relationship with God, because he's my hero. I literally grew up thinking there was no one closer to God than he, no one wiser, no one more knowledgeable about the Word. When he fell away, I became jaded with the church, unable to trust others, and really doubtful of the power of God. Through all of the drama, I've always stayed with the Lord, because, where else would I go, really? But I was shaken. Angry. Bitter. Out of the hurt in my heart, my prayer was literally, "God, make everything in their lives go wrong so that they HAVE to turn to you."

But this year, the way I prayed changed. My new year's resolution was to NOT let God alone in my prayers for my dad- to approach the throne every day and keep my requests before Him, like Abraham begging God for the salvation of the righteous few in Sodom. God filled me with an unexplainable desire for mercy and His lovingkindness in their lives. Instead of praying doom, I began entreating God for grace, for favor, for kindness, for undeserved blessing in their lives. I prayed that He would spare them. I prayed that, as they sat in the "pig pen" of prodigal living, their minds would drift toward the goodness of home, toward the safety of the father's house, toward the love in their Abba's heart toward them. As I prayed this way, my heart became so tender toward my family, that all I wanted was to really, truly love them.

I believe that because the way I prayed changed, the course of my family's lives changed. I know that many of you have prayed for my family too, and I'm so grateful for that! But the way I prayed changed my heart and my approach with them. Loving them became enough, whether they were kind to me or not, whether they showed any interest in the things of God or not.

I'm so excited to say that God is doing a mighty work in my father's life. He's returned to the Lord. My dad spent the day studying the Word on Saturday. He told me that God gave him his first message for the first time he preaches, whenever that might be. And, since he's attending the Men's Experience in two weeks, I know God is going to continue this amazing work in His heart and life. It's even trickled down into my three-year-old niece, who loves to go to Sunday school, is captivated by Bible stories, and prays spontaneously in the car! I'm still believing for my brother's salvation, but it's just a matter of time, baby!

Those of you who have unsaved relatives, please feel a renewed sense of hope for your family. God loves them like a father longing for the return of his lost son. It's only a matter of time before they'll realize that the safety and love of home is better than the "freedom" of being the world. My story isn't over, but it's going from "glory to glory." And so will yours.

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