A Conversation with my Father-in-Law

Summer will soon be upon us. Church attendance is usually down this time of year due to families vacationing, but mostly, due to young people playing travel ball. I must confess, I hate, hate, hate travel ball just because of that reason. (Okay, that's not totally true. I hate baseball, period, because I think it's a boring game.) While I believe it's good for young people to be involved in athletics, I don't think it should supercede the weekly worship services of the church. I wish I could say that I know they're attending elsewhere during these times away, but I know that would be a false assumption because I see how they've turned away from the church during the rest of the year.

I had this conversation with my father-in-law yesterday. He used to be an elder in our congregation. He felt my pain, as it were. He admitted that one of the reasons he resigned from the eldership was that he got depressed from peoples' apathy in regard to their spiritual lives. In essence, he said that you can't make someone care. He's right, of course. You just do the best you can to provide services and programs for the perceived need. If they choose not to participate it won't be because you didn't strive to accommodate them.

I take no pleasure in watching people run their lives off the rails, but you can only do so much in the way of personal evangelism in trying to restore them before they become irritated with you. It really is a very fine line that you have to walk. You can't afford to misstep or misspeak or it just pushes them further, and sometimes permanently, away. I expect to be villified because I do care and I'm willing to take the heat. I can't stand the thought of people being eternally lost. Faithful friends are the only people you can take to Heaven with you--not the McMansion, not the trappings of success, etc. If I don't try to restore people, their blood is on my hands and I will have to answer to God for my own passivity. Christ and his apostles couldn't stand to see people lost either and they paid with their lives, so any wrath I incur should be of little consequence.

Love Ya,
God Bless!