Unequal Consequences

Twenty-one years ago I asked God to forgive me my sins by the blood of Jesus. In so doing I instantly became unequally yoked with special people in my life. My family, boyfriend and friends were suddenly on the opposite side of an enormous chasm. Outside of the spiritual mother God sent to mentor me to the cross, I had no one to share my new faith with. My circle of peers were blind to the truth, my family doubted my sincerity and I said good-bye to my boyfriend.

My solitude in those days was agonizing in many ways, but inside of me a joy swelled giving rise to hope. Hope that one day, my family would be healed, those that called me friend would call me sister and my heart would be vowed to a man who loved God. Stepping into a relationship with Jesus meant I was stepping away from loved ones. While I was embracing my dreams I was destroying the dreams of others. Hearts were torn.

Today I still have hope that those I love will come to know Jesus. While my heart aches over their blind eyes and deaf ears, I trust God's love for them is as sure as His love for me. Therefore I pray they will enter the rest of heaven and choose to see Christ as well hear Jesus.

"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance," (Matthew 13:11-12).

I wrestle with this verse because it can appear to mean that God plays favorites: that He reveals His glory to some and not others. Though I touched on this in my last devotional, it is worth repeating. God reveals himself but men are dull to the Holy Spirit and Truth. Their pride and arrogance keeps them in darkness.
Jesus said;
"Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
"'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.'

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears
because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." (Matthew 13:13-17).

I see Jesus because I want to see Jesus. I hear His message because I want to understand it. God knows this about me and therefore He opens my eyes, ears and heart.

My role is to remain faithful to Jesus. To seek peace at all cost in my relationship with Him. Where he leads I must follow, regardless of the pain it causes others. The "road is narrow" means I will walk single file...the are but few workers warns the work will be endless, loving the Lord means I obey His commands and allow Him to direct my life. For some the journey of salvation and conversion will be blessed with an intact circle of family, friends and spouses. They will share the yoke with Jesus and their burden will be for the most part equal.

For others, living life for and with Jesus, will inflict pain and possible injury to others. Business partners will lose profits due to one having a righteous conscious. Parents may lose their children to the mission field. Some will lose sex partners. Other's will lose companions. However, their loss is gain for God's children.

We are told in God's word not to be unequally yoked with those who reject Jesus, (2 Corinthians 6:14). For we can see how yoking two bulls with different stalls would warrant a struggle; each bull would want to return to his own stall at the end of the day. What agony must be endured when unequally yoked!

God opened my eyes to this principle and gave me the strength to sever some relationships. He comforted me by providing new ones over time. It took me a year of nights praying for a Godly man before my husband asked me to join him for dinner; Newport Beach Crab Cooker. They had to nudge us out the door after closing time. Slowly we found ways to connect with my family for awhile.

I have experienced the pain on the other side of the chasm where loss is experienced without hope. This God has purposed to give me great compassion for the spiritually deaf and blind. For this reason we must faithfully pray them through their suffering, even if from a distance. In so doing, we have the promise to comfort us that when we place God first in our lives, he will bring good out of every situation.