Witnessing to family members can be the most challenging experience ever!
A few days after becoming born-again, I nervously met with two family members. My goal was to share how Jesus saved me, but I was unsure of how they would react, given their different religious beliefs.
As I talked about accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my family stared at me with blank faces as if I spoke a foreign language. When I finished talking, one of them reluctantly said, “Well, I’m glad you found God.”
Over the months, years, and decades that followed, I lived out my faith consistently, sharing the gospel with these individuals as I had the opportunity.
Despite their accusation of me being a brainwashed cult member early on, they could not deny the Holy Spirit’s supernatural transformation of my heart and mind. It was their spiritual blindness that continually ignited my prayers for their deliverance and salvation one day.
A few years ago, the Holy Spirit prompted me to talk to them about eternity specifically. As I sat in their living room, ready to share what the Lord laid on my heart, it felt like history repeating itself. The same nerves I experienced three decades earlier emerged from the shadows and filled me with butterflies. But I knew it might be my last chance to share Jesus with them, so I did not waiver.
I had high hopes for this meeting going into it. But after sharing my heart, the gospel, and the reality of eternity, I was met with resistance once again. Unfortunately, our meeting ended after one of them said, “I don’t believe you have to be born-again to go to heaven,” and I answered to the contrary.
I share this story with you because witnessing to family members can be challenging. Their familiarity with us can make our message seem ineffective, and our concern for them can result in jumbled words or difficulties communicating.
Nonetheless, never underestimate the Holy Spirit’s power as you share the gospel. You may not see the fruit of repentance, but the seeds you plant today can impact tomorrow in ways you never anticipated. So, keep faithfully sharing the truth in love with those you love.
