"Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved" - WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR RELATIVES?

 Show empathy.  Pauling mentioned earlier, says:  "At first, I wanted to talk to my husband only about spiritual things.  We had no 'normal' conversation."  However, Pauline's husband, Wayne, had  little Bible knowledge and did not understand what Pauling was talking about.  To him, it seemed that all she thought about was religion.  He worried that she was joining a dangerous sect and was being deceived.

Pauling admits that for a while she spent a great deal of time during her evenings and weekends  with her spiritual brothers and sisters-at meetings, in preaching, and at social gatherings.  "Wayne sometimes came home to an empty house and felt lonely," says Pauline.  Understandably, Wayne missed  his wife and son.  He did not know the people they were with, and it seemed that his wife's new friends had become more important to Pauline than he was.  Wayne reacted by threatening to divorce Pauline.  Can you see ways in which Pauline could have been more empathetic?

Let your conduct speak for you.  Often, what we do makes a bigger impression on our relatives  than what we say.  (Read 1 Peter 3:1, 2)  Pauline eventually  realized that fact.  "I knew that Wayne loved us and didn't really want a divorce," she says.  "But his threat  made me realize that I had to start doing things Jehovah's way. Instead of talking so much, I needed to set a good example through my conduct."  Pauline stopped pressuring Wayne   to talk about the Bible, and she began conversing with him about  everyday matters.  Wayne saw her become more peaceable, and he saw their son become better behaved.  (Proverbs 31:18, 27, 28)   When Wayne observed the good effect the Bible's message was having on his family, he opened his mind and heart to the message from God's Word. - 1 CORINTHIANS 7:12-14, 16.

Persevere in trying to help your relatives.     Jehovah sets the example for us.  "Again and again" he gives people the opportunity to respond to the good news and gain life.  (Jeremiah 44:4)  And the apostle Paul told Timothy  to persevere in helping others.  Why?  Because by doing so, he would save himself and those who listened to him.  (1 Timothy 4:16)  We love our relatives, so we want them to know the truths found in God's Word.  Pauline's words and actions eventually  had a good influence on her family.  She now has the joy of serving Jehovah along with her husband. Both of them are pioneers, and Wayne serves as an elder.

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You"  Will Be Saved

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