Witnessing II

He [Jesus] said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:44-49 (NIV)

As I have continued thinking about ‘I am a witness’ I went from the witness to myself to a more difficult one: the witness for Jesus Christ that I am to my family. (I can ‘see’ so many who have read that sentence and are cringing just like me.)

Jesus shows me so much mercy and His never-ending grace – that’s ‘forgiveness’ and ‘love’ – for me that when God speaks to me about witnessing to my family – I fall to my knees because I fail so miserably at that. I extend SO MUCH to others and NOT SO MUCH to my husband! When he snaps at me, is my response ‘grace’ or ‘pout’? Why do I do that? And then there are expectations that I have of my children. Aren’t they grown? And sometimes they still don’t always make good choices! If they just asked me – I’d be glad to tell them what to do!!! Seriously, God is the standard of a GOOD PARENT. He allows me to make choices and loves me back into His path when I make a “not-God-turn”. Yes, there are consequences. But Father God’s love is NEVER withheld!

My witness to my family is walking a real witness. It is truly spending time with God every day. It is coming up on a question or crisis and saying truthfully, “I need to pray about this first” and then doing that. It is LIVING the witness not just PREACHING the witness.

All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.  Proverbs 21:2 (NIV)

For me, this Proverb doesn’t speak more clearly or strike my heart more painfully than it does when I look at how I live in front of my family. I can ‘fool’ most everyone – but not God. God knows what I think and speak in my heart. Do I let God speak to me about what I am thinking and feeling? Do I allow God to separate the ‘wheat’ from the ‘chaff’ of my feelings? I have stinkin’ thinkin’ sometimes! The Holy Spirit will flush the junk out of me and fill me with HIS thinking! If not right in the moment – then may I finish each day with quiet time for God to examine my day’s thoughts – correcting and flushing all that is not Him. Tomorrow is a fresh start of witnessing. There may be no greater witness than “I’m sorry” that precedes a change of attitude and heart with my family.