Band-aided Bullet Wounds

I was just reading a great article by Abraham Piper, John Piper's son, entitled "Let Them Come Home". He talked about when he was living in rebellion and was not a Christian. His third point convicted me about the way I relate to the unbelievers in my life. His point was to acknowledge that something is wrong.

When your daughter rejects Jesus, don’t pretend that everything is fine. If you know she’s not a believer and you’re not reaching out to her, then start. And never stop. Don’t ignore her unbelief. Ignoring it might make holidays easier, but not eternity.

Abraham makes a point that I know but often forget or push aside due to my desire for comfort. This is a good reminder to me about what love looks like, because it's not simply getting along with family members. I also appreciated his solution for the problem, point them to Christ. He goes on to say.

Your rebellious child’s real problem is not drugs or sex or cigarettes or porn or laziness or crime or cussing or slovenliness or homosexuality or being in a punk band. The real problem is that your child doesn’t see Jesus clearly. The best thing you can do for rebellious children—and the only reason to follow any of these suggestions—is to show them Christ. It won’t be simple or immediate, but the sins in their life that distress you and destroy them will begin to disappear only when they see Jesus more as He actually is.

How easy it is to want to fix a symptom of the problem when the real issue lies beneath. Sometimes we love bandaiding bullet wounds. We should pray to God changes us from band-aiders to surgeons when it comes to matters of the soul.

Rick