Matthew 19:29  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

I do not think I am alone as a former Roman Catholic from a devout practicing Roman Catholic family, in that I have been completely rejected in my witness to my family. I spent much more time with family members, witnessing the Gospel, pleading with them, sending them things, much more in detail than anyone out there, and it has not made a dent.

If anyone out there can actually see the regeneration of my heart, it would be my family. They knew my life before I was saved, and now thereafter.  I have published books for example, and I guess my expectation to be honest is that maybe, just maybe, a family member would take up notice and say “he had never done that before”, nor did I even talk about faith much with them or the things of salvation.  Not ONE ounce of encouragement has come from them, but I have rec’d much from the actual Christian church so I know what I have done and have been doing is not in vain.

Releasing the Expectations

A tip that I can give to those in a similar circumstance is to release your expectations with your family. Don’t give up on them, but don’t expect they will turn or listen or encourage you, because it will constantly serve as a frustration point!  They can hear, they aren’t stupid, they just need their hearts changed as your heart was changed by God.

With this, don’t threaten, don’t give ultimatums either. If you are dealing with a proud stubborn individual, which we all are, ultimatums ALWAYS tend to produce BAD results. Just release your expectations and love them as family members, unsaved, but you can still be there for them, you can still be a light in their darkness. You don’t have to EVER appease them in their faith though, I should say NEVER do this!  Treat them in the things of faith as a complete outsider until you see a change.  Why is this important? Because they seek compromise of the Gospel with you, don’t ever give them an indication that they are following Jesus Christ, because they aren’t!

When you have done all that you can do, leave it up to God. Be patient and wait, if it is His will that any of them turn, you will be probably the first to know. If it is not His will, rest in this as well.  We desire with our whole hearts that our whole family turns on to the Good News so that they can live with us eternally with our Savior Jesus Christ. So be their light in the darkness, hope, pray, and be patient.