When your decision upsets others

We live in strange times where people are easily offended and we have to walk on egg shells so as not to upset anyone. It seems whatever we say, or do, will make someone unhappy, or draw criticism of some sort. So we try our best to please everyone.

FACT 1 - You cannot please everyone all the time. You cannot even please everyone some of the time. There will always be someone who is not pleased whatever you do.

FACT 2 - Someone should have the courage to tell people to grow up and not act like a spoilt child.

FACT 3 - Everyone is afraid to do what Fact 2 suggests in case they offend someone else.

Let us now consider what happens when we make a very personal decision affecting our lives which somehow offends others to the point where they either distance themselves from us, avoid us, or outright oppose us.

Many people decided at some point in their lives to become Christians. They may have been brought up so by their parents or made the personal decision at some stage as they grew up. In times gone by, this would not have raised many eye brows.

Not so today. Being a Christian has in many cases alienated friends and family members. In some cases it has caused upheavals within families even leading to marriage breakdowns.

This causes untold pressure on all involved, not least on the Christian person.

In a marriage, particularly, when one spouse wishes to attend regular church services, or bring up the children in the faith, whereas the other spouse vehemently opposes such a decision.

Often, as children grow up, they may move away from the faith they were brought up in and prefer to follow the modern trend of unbelief. This results in a great divide between parents and offspring, or indeed between siblings.

The tension can of course extend to other family members or friendships too.

So what is a person of faith to do?

The choice is, as always, perfectly clear albeit at times difficult for some individuals. One has to choose between God, or pleasing one's family or friends.

If they cannot accept your decision to follow your beliefs and your faith, that is their problem, not yours. As much as it must hurt, as much as it may cause a drift amongst people, you have to choose your God above all else. 

I have known friendships and even marriages break down over this. But at the end of the day the choice has to be made by each individual in each circumstance.

"And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet." Matthew 10:14

Above all ... and this is important ... pray for those who oppose you because of your faith.