I sincerely hope you won’t avoid your family’s reunion—and instead of dreading it, I hope you’ll go with an attitude of anticipation and joy!

And you will, if you see this not as a burden but as a God-given opportunity—an opportunity He is giving you to influence your family for good. No, you don’t want to come across as negative or self-righteous; that usually turns people away from Christ instead of toward Him. But what if others saw Christ’s love and joy in your lives? What if your relatives saw Christ’s hope and peace in your hearts? Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Pray, therefore, that God will go before you and make you a blessing to your family. Some in your extended family may already love God—and He can use you to encourage them. Some may be seeking God, or wondering what the future holds for them—and He can use you to point them to Jesus. And some may have no interest in Christ or may even scorn you—but God can still use you to plant seeds of faith in their hearts.

Remember: God hasn’t called you to avoid unbelievers, but to help them and point them to Christ. We have been chosen, the Bible says, to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).