Forgive and forget, or just forget

I just read an online friend’s blog, and I have to admit that I’m guilty.

I’m guilty of wanting my children to be surrounded by fellow Christians, and to avoid anyone who disagrees with what we believe or are down-right antagonistic about it.

UNFORTUNATELY, we have a family member who fits into those latter two categories. So what do you do?

My husband and I have taken two different mindsets concerning this. 1) we simply write them off, and wish them the best with the rest of their lives; or 2) we tell them we will continue to pray for them, but we believe strongly that the Christian way is the only way and if they continue to dismiss our ideals (mainly in front of the children) then any hope for future contact will be null and void. Personally, at this point, I’m at option #1 with prayer thrown in.

You see, there is a member or two in my husband’s family who for whatever reason is very against formed religion. Of any type from what I can tell. What concerns me is the reaction I see from this person whenever God, Jesus, or religion is mentioned. It’s as though I was punching this person in the gut. I’ve seen grimacing even. And may I be so bold as to say I believe I have seen Satan in this person’s eyes.

We don't avoid sinners....goodness, we are ALL sinners. I'm talking about someone who probably doesn't believe there is even a God. This person believes good acts will get you to the "next life". Definately NOT what we believe.

I believe this person is chock-full of a lifetime of sadness and resentment. Can’t really “prove” my theory, but this individual never seems truly happy. Sure, they go through the motions, is cordial, and to outsiders would appear a’ok; but after spending some time with this person you would see that there is a deep sadness…anger even.

This is a person with children. I believe they love their children, but it’s certainly not the kind of love I have for my children. Hugging this person is no different than hugging a stranger you’ve just met. I feel/see no love between them and their children. I believe this has had permanent repercussions because of it.

So, let’s get back to what to do with an antagonistic non-believing family member. I don’t have the answer. I’m seeking almost daily to find the answer to this one. My children want nothing more to do with this person. I’m basically there myself. My husband, who retreats from confrontation, is eternally hopeful. Do we chance it, and have our children exposed to things we find unacceptable; or do we expose them to this person and continue make explanations to our children?

I continue to pray about this………