People Stories - Peter

We met Peter about one week after the Lord had saved him in November 2016. Since that time we have spent lots of time together; he has consistently come to our Guys’ Night; and we have connected with his pastor. When I think of how he has grown and changed, I say WOW! God really does transform people and make them new creatures. Although we didn’t know him as a nonchristian, he has shared some about his past. He often tells us about his family life and how the brokenness of his parents’ divorce affects him. When he spends the night with us on Guys’ Night (he lives far away), we always have thoughtful discussions about how to apply biblical principles to his life and problems.

Recently we talked about how, knowingly or not, he will carry attitudes from his current relationships with his parents into a future marriage. We could see that he had never thought about that before. So then how does the gospel change our relationships, or our thinking about relationships, toward our nonchristian family members? Only God can change relationships, but we can use principles from God’s Word to change our thinking about our relationships. God calls us to focus our thinking on thoughts that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. “If there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). We talked about how love is a commitment. Yes, true, but what does that mean toward people who are difficult to love or who treat you like an enemy? How can he show love by committing to do the highest good for his parents? Difficult questions without easy answers.

Please pray for Peter as he navigates difficult relationships and seeks to apply gospel wisdom to them.