Matthew 10:37 (NIV®)
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
This verse has always been a bit of a conundrum for me. Our relationship with our parents is supposed to be respectful. Our care for our children should be a priority. So why this verse? Why would we ever be in a position where we would have to make this kind of choice?
These days, I think we have a perspective that brings this into better focus. Although I have heard of those who have had to take a stand for Christ and have consequently been disowned by their parents and family; it is not a familiar position for most of us. I think this verse has application in many arenas because of the spirit of the verse. What is it that we love more than Christ?
We can speak up in a crowd of strangers because there are likely no immediate consequences. They may talk back or ignore us, but they won’t harm us for our opinions. We can put a magnet on our car or post a sign in our yard that points people to Christ, but if others disagree, there is really no overt conflict. These are not really “love” challenges. But what happens when we speak up among friends who have very different beliefs? Will we lose those friends? What about family? Are we willing to ruffle some feathers? If we speak up against our employers actions? Will we lose our job? If we lose our job will we lose our livelihood and everything we’ve worked for? Surely God doesn’t expect that?
I don’t know anyone who has had to face life changing consequences for speaking up for Christ, but I think we have to be wiling to be in that position. The soul-searching that is required in order to assess our heart’s true position can be arduous, but we need to know where our heart really is.
We are not often asked to give up that much. Yet we still hesitate. We don’t take a stand for anything because surely God wouldn’t want us to do anything that might reflect negatively on us or make life harder. Do we realize how contradictory that is against what we know of Christ’s life? The truth is, we love our status, position or possessions more than we love God.
This verse doesn’t say we have to lose everything. God has plans for each of us. But this verse does speak to where our heart is. It asks us what we love more – others or Him. I hope we love Him more.