Change Is In the Air

Yesterday I made the following post on Facebook:

Just spent the whole morning teaching my dad about the Mosaic Law, its purpose, and how the gospel fulfills it. After all these years, we finally had a meaningful conversation. The expression on his face as he began to see—from Scripture—the glory of the new covenant was priceless. Glory be to God! ‪#‎ForeverThankful‬

Let me share with you the story behind this post. It all started early in the morning. I was trying to decide whether or not to go to work. After giving it some thought, I decided to stay at home. It was a tough decision. Maybe laziness or the fact that I was restless over finals week had something to do with it, I do not know.

I noticed that my father was off from work as well (coincidence?). After breakfast, we quickly started a conversation that, to my surprise, would last for about four hours. Lunch time came and we were still going. Can you believe that even food did not stop us? Now that is crazy!

Why did we spend so much time talking? What was the subject of our conversation? Sports? Nope. Politics? Nope. News? Entertainment? Nope. We talked for four hours about the Bible, in particular, topics like: the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic Law, the gospel, the new covenant, justification by faith, and the person and work of the Holy Spirit, among others. These are biblical concepts/truths that my father has had difficulty understanding and reconciling over the years, so the fact that we were able to talk about them was super encouraging.

This was the first time my father and I had a fruitful conversation. It was awesome. I do not remember the exact order, but we read and talked about passages such as: Genesis 12:1-3, Habakkuk 2:4, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:22-28, Mark 14:22-26, 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, Matthew 22:34-40, and Galatians 3 and 4. (I share the Scripture references just in case you want to read them for yourself).

I asked him questions about the text and challenged him to dig in deeper by making observations and connections. He thought and processed through key concepts and themes. I gave him some feedback as we made our way through the passages, highlighting important truths along the way.

I was blessed. I did not care what time it was. This was a special moment ordained by God Himself. My heart was filled with joy when I saw how my father was getting it. He was being blown away by the truth of Scripture. He was connecting the dots for the first time. The expression on my father’s face was priceless. It was like if the “light bulb” in his mind turned on for the first time. I wish we would have recorded the conversation. It was a sweet moment–one I will never forget.

I had no idea this was going to happen. I did not plan for it, and neither did my father. I was surprised that we ended up talking for such a long period of time in one sitting without arguing or something.

I can honestly–and gratefully–say that I have witnessed some change in my family recently, especially over the last few months. My father and I talking about the Bible is just one example. God is on the move. He is doing something new in my family and I am so thankful for it.

Who is to receive credit for this change? Not me. No way. Yes, God used me, but He alone deserves all the credit. If there is anything God deserves is the glory due to His name. Change is in the air and there is one else to thank and praise but God alone.

Family As a Mission Field

If you or someone you know is having a hard time at home with family, please be encouraged: you are not alone. Family life can be very challenging at times. There is no doubt about that. What has helped me lately is realizing the fact that ministering to my family is the greatest investment I can make in life. God has been challenging me to see and approach my family from a different perspective–one that I am still trying to figure out how to live practically.

But nevertheless, I am starting to see my family as my mission field. God has given me a great opportunity to be a missionary to my family and bring the gospel to bear on every aspect of our lives. Will it look or feel perfect? No. In fact, it will be messy, hard, frustrating, and disappointing at times, but the effort is well worth it.

If you want to leave a legacy, make it your aim in life to impact your family. Invest your time and energy to build relationships with those who God has given you the privilege of doing life with on this earth. And what better day to start than today. Let’s go and make an eternal difference in the lives of those who matter the most–our families.

May God be glorified as we seek to humbly love and serve our families for the better.