In the last issue of “The Tidings,” a problem relationship was addressed from a father’s point of view. The message was presented in letter form: Dad advising his daughter to break up with a man who was worldly ambitious and not devoted to the Truth. A number of comments were received on the article, and one of our readers submitted the following which approaches the situation from the viewpoint of a sister who recently went through a similar experience.
Dear Susan,
You’re so fortunate! You’re in a special relationship and you have the greatest gift of all— eternal life— to offer to your loved one! So why do you feel guilty and bad about the situation?
Because you’ve been hedging about the most important part of your life. The Truth.
I know how you feel: you’ re afraid you’ II chase him away if you push your religion. You’re waiting for some elusive “right moment” to seriously broach the subject. You think that by giving this man your best attention you’ll be strengthening your relationship for the introduction of religion later on. But you know perfectly well that nothing good ever comes of letting God take a backseat
You need to start being honest with yourself and with your young man. The Truth is an incomparable gift to be shared — not a heavy burden to be done away with. You’re the one who knows it, you can’t expect him to bring it up.
It’s time for action. Lay it on the table. You are beginning to love him, but you can’t commit any further until he gives the Truth a try.
That’s right! You need to give him an ultimatum.
He needs to attend meeting on Sunday, starting this Sunday. He needs to read the Bible with you daily, starting today.
If you mean enough to him and if you make your feelings clear, he’ll respond positively. If he doesn’t, you couldn’t build a happy life with him anyway.
You need to do your homework first if this is going to work. Start re-establishing your own ties with God and the ecclesia; bone up on your first principles and do it quickly.
You will gain nothing by waiting to bring the subject up. In fact, you’ll lose a great deal. Your connection with God will grow weaker as your worldly ties to this man grow stronger. If you ever do get around to talking about the Truth, you’ll have no credibility. After all, if it was so important to you, he’ll wonder why didn’t you bring it up sooner?
The situation is very simple, stop trying to complicate matters with rationalization. Don’t risk eternal life–yours or his—by waiting any longer. Keep your mind on the wonderful outcome if this man responds to the gospel. Seeing the person you love the most being baptized brings joy beyond comprehension.
I urge you to take my advice. God will bless you for trying. I know — He brought a wonderful man to me. I almost squandered our lives with my reluctance to tell him about the Truth. God be thanked, I woke up, followed my own advice and we are now walking toward the Kingdom together.
I’m praying for you.
Love in Christ,
Your sister
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One