February 11, 2008
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:37-38
These verses were initially concerning to me. I could not understand why God would want me to love my parents or my children any less than I do.
Think of how much you love your mother or father or son or daughter. Are there any limits to this love? As parents, we do everything we can to be sure our children grow up to be strong Christians and contribute meaningfully to society. As children, we love our parents and will do whatever we can to thank, help, and care for them as they age.
That is not to say there aren't conflicts, sometimes very serious ones, between family members. Despite these problems, our family members remain those that we love the most. A family relationship is close.
It is difficult to think of loving God more or less than loving your parents or your children. Since your love of God is different than the love you have for your family, it is difficult to compare.
I think Jesus is trying to dimension the love we should have for Him. By making a comparison with those you love most in this world, He is saying that as much as we love our father, mother, son and daughter, we are to love Him even more. It reinforces how much our love and commitment to Jesus should be.
Our response should be to be united as a family with love for Jesus and demonstrate our commitment by (taking up our cross) and following Jesus' teachings. Acknowledging that there will be conflict in families, we need to remember our commitment to the Lord comes first. This will bring out the insignificance of our conflicts and keep our focus on Him.
Heavenly Father, unite us all in love and commitment to you. Remind us every day that as much as we love our family, we are to love You even more. Amen.
Andy Kunz