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

Be patient.  When we conform our life to God's standards, our relatives may find it difficult to adjust to our new beliefs and lifestyle. Often, the first thing they notice is that we no longer join them in celebrating religious festivals and no longer engage in political activities.  Some relatives might initially be angry with us.  (Matthew 10:35, 36)  But we should not give up on them.  If we stop  trying to help them understand our beliefs, we have, in effect,  judged them  as being unworthy of gaining everlasting life.  Jehovah has not given us the job of judging- he has assigned that task to Jesus. (John 5:22)   If we are patient, our relatives may eventually  be willing to listen to our message.

Be firm but tactful.  (Proverbs 15:2)  Consider the example of Alice. She learned about Jehovah when she was living away from her parents, who were politically active atheists.  She realized that as soon as possible, she needed to tell them about the good things she was learning.  "If you wait until later to announce changes in your beliefs and practices," says Alice, "the shock of your family will become greater."  She write letters to her parents, asking what they thought of the Bible's teachings on topics she hoped would interest them, such as love.  (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)  She thanked her parents for raising her and taking care of her, and she them gifts.  During visits to her parents' home, she went out of her way to help her mother around the house. At first, her parents did not respond favorably when Alice told them about her new beliefs.

When Alice was at home with her parents, she stuck to her schedule of Bible reading.  "This helped by mother to understand how important the Bible was to me," says Alice.  Meanwhile, Alice's father decided to learn something about the Bible in order to understand his daughter's changed thinking, and he wanted to find fault with the Bible.  "I gave a Bible," says Alice, "and I inscribed it with a personal note."  What was the result?  Rather than  finding fault, Alice's father was deeply moved by what he read in God's Word.

We need to be firm but tactful, even if we must endure trials.  (1 Corinthians 4:12b) Alice, for example, had to endure opposition from  her mother.  "When I got baptized, Mom called  me a 'bad daughter'"  How did Alice respond?  "Rather than avoiding the issue, I respectfully explained that I had made up my mind to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses and would stick to that decision.  I tried to reassure my mother that I really loved her.  We  both cried, and I cooked her a nice meal.  From then on, my mother began to acknowledge that the Bible was making me a better person." 

It make take time before our relatives  fully understand just how serious we are about serving Jehovah. For instance. For example, when Alice decided to pioneer rather than to pursue the career her parents had chosen for her, her mother cried again.  But Alice remained firm. "If you give in to pressure in one area," says Alice. 'your family will likely pressure you on other matters.  But if you are kind yet firm with your family, come of them may listen to you."  That is what happened in Alice's case.  Both of her parents are now pioneers and her father is an elder. 

Next time: "Those Who Will Listen to You" Will Be Saved - HOW CAN ALL IN THE CONGREGATION HELP? 

From the jw.org publications