I hear you've changed

"My sister, I hear that you've changed. Is it true? You're not one of us any more?" 

 A friend of mine got this call from her brother recently, the call that many people here worry about. Belonging is an important concern here. Each person belongs to a family, to a neighborhood, to a town, and then to different associations or schools or jobs, or whatever. But family comes first. And rejecting family, or being rejected by family, can carry significant consequences for all areas of a person's life.

Now, it's been a few years since this friend changed. Her family's known for awhile about it, but in typical island conflict style, they've not raised the issue and she's not addressed it either. This has given her time to learn and grow, to show her new life in the community, and to bond with others who have made the same change in their lives. But now her family is making moves to have a confrontation. 

When her brother called, she invited him to come talk with her. They set a time, but then the rain picked up and he didn't go through the rain to get to her house. So the "real confrontation" has yet to occur. In the meantime she's mobilized others to intercede for her, she's prepared her heart with Truth, and she feels ready for whatever may come. 

In discussing this with another friend here the comment was made, "But her life has changed so much. How could her family be upset over it?" May that be the case for all of us-- our lives have changed so much, in good ways, such that anyone who loves us would be foolish to be upset over it.