Nov 164 min read

Tunnel Vision

Important ways to show up for your family

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Isaiah 42:7

How can you justify...?

How can you and I justify to God the loss of our families while doing His work to their neglect? Ministry outside the home is important, and should be encouraged, but if your wife is sick; your husband is struggling with his faith; your child is strung out on drugs or withdrawing in his or herself; your wife wants a divorce because you are negligent; your mother is sick or frail, how can you ignore the red flags that signals for you to turn your ministry " in-wards"?

You say that you cannot leave your church to grieving wolves, but you are content to allow the wolves to devour your church at home. How can you justify...?

You are a prominent member of community service, a call comes from a loved one in the family. You ask "Who will minister to ________ if I leave to take care of my unsaved mother or backsliding brother who has asked you to visit? " Perhaps you may ask where will I find the time or somebody to cover me?" I cannot go or I will not miss church so many times because I may lose my post or influence. I will go later. Weeks turn into months and possibly years, and your family crashes and burns, because your priorities are messed up. How can you justify...?

I believe that, as ministers and missionaries, when we take the above approach we have the same attitudes as the people who Christ gave a scathing rebuke. Let's stop at that incident in the Bible: Matthew 7: 21-23:

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Your faith is corrupted. God could have found you a "ram in the thicket" to cover your post while you tended to the needs of your family who were crying out for your help, but you ignored them because your faith was in yourself and not God. Then you may ask, "Why are they stubborn in becoming a Christian?" Sometimes the answer is not because they love the world but they do not love the Christ they see in you. They recognize that you are blind to your priority.

What are the priorities owed to our families?

1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

4 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. Isaiah 61:1-4 and Isaiah 42:7

As members of families, may we ask God to open our blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners (our unsaved family members) from the prison of Satan's snares, and self-inflicted darkness.

But how can we do all these things if OUR eyes are blind... if we have tunnel vision all the time? First, our eyes need to be opened. But before our eyes are opened we need to have our hearts refreshed by the Holy Spirit. Yes, there is a time when we will need to work in other vineyards... but God calls us to the white fields of winning our families' hearts at all cost.

Prayer: Lord, teach me that seeking you first, starts within the family circle. If they can't see Christ in me.... How can the world at large, who also watches how I treat my family? Please provide opportunities for me to reach my family who also need you, before it is too late. Amen.